The Beautiful and the Damned
by the-dramatic-harmonica
Summary: The 1920s are all about the jazz, the wild parties, and the exceptional fashion. Caroline and Elena are about to learn first hand that time travel is possible- and getting home isn't as easy as getting stuck in the past. It might just require help from the Original Family, and a certain Ripper Stefan. ( Semi AU. Klaus&Caroline,Damon&Elena,Stefan,Rebekah, some Elijah)
1. Do Do That Voo-doo You Do So Well

Disclaimer: Own nothing but the TVD DVDs. All copyrights belong to writer, and creators of the books and shows, and all that jazz.

** Chapter 1: Do Do that Voo Doo You do so well **

**Inspiration: Song: You Do Something to Me by Cole Porter ( 1929)**

Caroline Forbes' head pounded with the pain. She couldn't remember much of the night before, when sleep was forced upon her. Her stomach still stung from where the knife had sliced through her. It had healed quickly, but the sudden dizziness and subsequent fade to black had meant there had been something much more sinister at work.

"Caroline?" she could hear Elena's voice a few feet away, a sign that the other vampire was waking up as well. Beneath them, they could hear the hum and throbbing of a wild party. Caroline looked around, eyes adjusting to the darkness. They seemed to be in an apartment; simply furnished, mostly with antiques. The dust collecting vanity held a few items: perfume, a brush, but nothing to betray the owner's identity, nothing to betray where they were. They were certainly not in the Mystic Falls Grill anymore- and that was the last place she remembered.

The sound of roaring jazz echoed through the floor boards; a woman's voice, deep and sensuous, she seemed to be singing about all the darkness in the world. Caroline could smell an overpowering stench of alcohol and smoke.

"How long do you think we were...dead?" Elena asked, as she rose and dusted herself off, feeling another sharp pain in her stomach with the movement. "Why do you think we were dead?" she commented, trying to rack her brain for an idea as to how a simple stomach wound would have incapacitated them for so long.

"Some voo doo witchy knife thing?" Caroline shrugged. "I don't know" she admitted.

Elena remembered it in flashes; the witch who had her down on her knees screaming, approaching with a knife, when Caroline leapt in front of her. Then he had shoved the knife through her stomach and Caroline fell; limp. After that, he started to approach Elena, and she remembered that she was screaming, our of pain, fear and worry. The pain ripped through her when he forced the blade into her. It felt like the blow reverberated through her soul, but those were her last thoughts before the cut to black.

"Let's just find out where we are and get home" Elena said, never thinking for once that it would become her mission. "Wait," Elena paused, thinking as another piece of the puzzle came hurling back into her mind. She vaguely remembered Stefan being there with them. Stefan, who should have been lying on the ground beside them.

"Stefan…..he was here, he was with us, did he escape?" worry clouded her features; and Caroline bit back the comment she most wanted to say; how she wanted to point out that maybe fate and prophecies existed after all. That Damon, Elena's boyfriend was far from her mind. She held the comment in and ignored the impulse; now wasn't the time. It was time to find Stefan and figure out where they were, not to play matchmaker.

"The weird knifey torture thing? I hope so!" Caroline responded.

"Let's try to find him" Elena muttered aloud.

He shouldn't have left their impromptu party at the grill without saying goodbye, Stefan thought as he packed for his trip. But when the girls had disappeared in a pair to go to the washroom, he had decided to make a phone call. After, he had no desire to return; just to say goodbye and make excuses and explain just exactly why he wanted to get as far away from Elena, her boyfriend Damon, and his home town of Mystic Falls as possible. He'd gone home to pack then, not thinking twice about the young man who passed him on the way out of the grill. Not imagining that soon, the guilt would gnaw at him until he was sore.

Klaus Mikkelson felt beautiful and damned, and as he had his dinner for the night- he couldn't help but think how much he loved this decade. At tonight's affair, the jazz was loud, the booze free, and the dresses seemed to be getting shorter by the hour. Arguably the best part was the _all you could eat _buffet. A quite ingenious idea, he thought, pity it hadn't been his. He would be sure to include it as the centrepiece for his next party. He pulled away from the blonde woman, wiping the blood from his mouth. She was delicious, he thought, and looked delectable in her flapper dress. There were about a dozen humans in all and the guest of honour had compelled them to stand up on chairs, and stay there as each vampire in the joint had their fill. Klaus had quite enjoyed sampling Layla, the Irish treat next to the door. But then again, she had left something to desired. He was contemplating trying the blood of the Malawian gentleman next, but he needed a drink first. A strong one.

"Oh my god" Caroline's words burst from her mouth as she dropped down to the last step of the stair case. The scene in front of them was too hard to ignore. The party was a massive, raging affair, so large it didn't see the newcomers, no one cared what anyone else was doing. A few hundred people had been cramped into the small bar for the event.

"Wow." Elena commented, unable to look away from the scene in front of them, it was unlike anything they had ever seen before.

The jazz was blaring loudly, the point of origin a live band to the left of them, led by a beautiful woman who sang into the microphone in French. Her hair was a jagged bob cut of black hair that barely reached her shoulders; the dress a deep v cut, embellished with gold and red sequins, or perhaps diamonds, Caroline couldn't tell.

She looked in shock through the crowd; gasping when she spotted the humans, compelled to stand on chairs- some had more than 5 vampires on them at once with a line waiting for their turn beside them. Elena caught sight of the throne beside the band; it was illuminated brilliantly by a spot light that gave off gold light. Covered in red drapes, the thing was an eye sore, Elena thought. Whoever ruled the bar had decided to leave the chair empty, for the time being. The whole thing was a whirlwind of gold and booze, jazz and smoke and Caroline felt suddenly as if she was going to be sick.

"Caroline, we are so-"

"If you say "not in Kansas anymore', I will hit you" Caroline threatened, interrupting her.

"Not in 2014" Elena finished, nervousness assaulting her. Everything pointed the the truth. The attache of women seated at round tables next to the bar, long cigarettes and drinks in their hands, their clothes, the jazz.

"Let's split up. Try to find out if Stefan is here too" Elena suggested. Caroline nodded, knowing her first stop was going to the be bar. She didn't want to admit how badly she wanted to feed; how she couldn't handle the sight of the humans propped up on chairs, the over flow of blood. It was something like a chocolate fountain, she thought, then became quite disgusted with the idea. She could feel the cravings settling in, ready to rip her apart, it had been too long since she fed.

"Then maybe we can figure out a way to get out of here" Caroline added, before heading towards the bar.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted her. Unable to ignore the recognition. He held back, decided to watch her for now. Then he would make his move. He knew Klaus would kill him if he told her to run. But the heart wants what the heart wants and Elijah had decided long ago that he would do anything for family; there were sacrifices to be made. Even if he would be making them for always, and forever. Family endured. Love was a fleeting emotion.


	2. Flappers and Prophecies

**Chapter 2: Flappers and Prophecies **

**Inspiration: Flappers and Philosophers by Fitzgerald (1920)**

"What can I get you dame?" The bartender was positively perky, "you look like you need to get _zozzled_" he continued as he shook a martini. He poured it out into a glass and pushed it forward to another woman. Caroline couldn't help but note the bright red, lush knee length dress, or watch the way the tassels swayed when the woman picked up her martini and made away from the bar; towards a group of her girlfriends.

"Something strong. Very strong" she commanded, ignoring the word _zozzled_, and the bartender flashed her a million dollar smile. The smell of the smoke was starting to get to her, and she was trying to fight the reality of the situation, but it was settling in. It wasn't just _not _the same decade, it was not Mystic Falls. She turned to the stage; watching the enigmatic singer as she hit the low notes. The jazz filled Caroline with hope, even if she didn't understand what the words were, that maybe, just maybe they would figure out what the hell happened to them. Neither of them have said it yet; how they should have been able to prevent the witch from even getting to them.

"That is a beautiful frock" a voice called to her and she turned, reluctantly, to face a young vampire. His eyes were a deep brown, and the curly hair that framed his face would be attractive to her, were she in the mood to notice.

"So what's the deal love? Got a _sheik_?" she had no idea what that meant, and frankly, she didn't want to give the baby vamp the time of day.

"Leave me alone" she responded.

"It's a free country. Except we're technically not allowed to drink" he commented in a whisper, and she could catch a hint of his accent, southern. New Orleans, maybe. "_Handcuff_? Yes? No?" he winked and she boiled up with rage. If this was some new way of flirting, Caroline had abruptly come to the decision that she hated it.

"Ew No! You can't just mention handcuffs to a girl the first time you see her" she blurted out, her mind travelling to the worst thing he could possibly mean, some sort of kink, no doubt. She had heard the 20s were wild, but assuming a woman would be tied up to your bed and mentioning it before buying her a drink, was too much in her book. She snatched the glass of bourbon as soon as the bartender set it down.

Klaus Mikkelson had being feeling bored at the party for some time. He leaned against the bar, his attention momentarily caught by the woman clearly out of place, out of time. Her dress the shortest he had seen yet. He overheard her sudden, abysmal dismissal of Theodore and couldn't help the laugh that escaped his lips. He did nothing to dissuade the sudden thought that flashed in his mind; her in handcuffs. He had never seen a creature so radiant, he decided, and to his delight, she spun around when he laughed.

Caroline heard his laugh first and _god, _she hated that she recognized it. For a split second, hope banged in her heart so strong, she was excited to see him. If anyone could help her get out of this mess and out of time it would be Klaus. The man that some had said was wrapped around her finger; the hybrid original who in the future at least, had eyes only for her. She whipped around to see him and for a moment she was caught off guard with how goddamn different he looked. Dapper was the word that came to mind; in a black tux with a brilliant red bow tie, he looked good in the formal dress. His hair was longer, slicked back and he was positively glowing. There was no trace of those damn necklaces, or v-necks he would be so fond of. The glass of liquor that was in his hand was full to the top and he paused for a moment, watching before he took a sip. He was enjoying this far too much. This wasn't the same man, she could tell, who had put her life in danger twice, who murdered his pack of hybrids without a thought, who killed Carol Lockwood out of revenge. This was Klaus as she had never seen him; charming, happy, king of his domain.

"Klaus!" she recognized him, speaking his name suddenly, unable to stop the delight at seeing him.

"He means wedding ring" he explained, enjoying how ruby red her cheeks became when she blushed.

Then, he seemed to register her comment, and she watched as his smile grew.

"Have we met love? I do feel as I would remember such a beautiful face...such a _unique_...dress" his eyes slid over her outfit and she felt out of place; very aware of her floral printed dress; the sweetheart shape of the top, how it hugged her curves. Unlike the flapper dresses of gold and black that surrounded her; with the occasional red dress peppered in the crowd. There was nothing like her bright yellow and pink sun dress or Elena's black sweater and jeans. Everything around them was tassels, sequins and diamonds. She'd try to deny it as long as possible, but the language, the dresses, the music, and dapper Klaus all pointed to the truth.

"Um..yeah…well…yes. But I guess not yet for you. What year is it?" she asked, and it only edged on his enjoyment.

"Can I get you a drink?" the other vampire asked, interrupting her, demanding her attention back onto him. Klaus opened his mouth, about to order Theodore away, but then the dazzling blonde decided to speak.

"I am not in the mood" she snapped.

"What are you in the mood for?" Theodore asked, his eye brow raised.

"For you" she faced him, "to get out of my face. You're not buying me a drink"

"You heard her, _old sport_" Klaus commented, and with a shrug, Theodore moved onto the next girl at the bar.

"You on the other hand" she turned to Klaus and he couldn't help the huge smile of amusement that spread over his features, "are going to help me."

"Oh am I? And why would I do that?" he laughed aloud, impressed by her misplaced confidence. She was thrown off by the sudden question; why should this Klaus with no attachment to her help her? Why should he even care if she lived or died? But no, she wouldn't let herself think that. She had to believe that there was some emotion of his she could access, some way she could get him to help her. If she couldn't, then they truly would be in trouble.

"Yes you are! And you can start by telling me what year it is!" she demanded, and he smiled again, draining his glass before he turned it to the bartender, motioning for a new one. The bartender obliged both of their glasses with another pour of the sour stuff and they sipped in silence for a moment.

The fear rushed over Elena when she couldn't find Stefan. When she realized there was no way they were in Mystic Falls anymore. She watched the jazz singer and the truth sunk in, to the bottom of her stomach, to the pit of her existence. This was something they had never had to deal with before. And she would be entirely alone, no Stefan, no Damon to help her. Herself and Caroline, new vampires, trying to get out of the fast paced world of the past.

Still, she couldn't help that she was starving and it had been too long since she had fed. She spotted Caroline's path to the bar, but she knew she wasn't that strong willed. Carefully, she approached one of the humans scattered around the room. His ginger hair shot out in all directions and she couldn't help the hum of guilt rise up in her when she spotted all his bite marks; neck, arms, wrist; she shuddered when her eyes caught the bite marks on his thigh. She spun around, trying to force herself away from it; horrified at herself for thinking of feeding like that. For wanting to indulge, but the hunger was getting to her. The blonde who bumped into her was human and the contents of her drink spilled down the front of Elena's sweater. When she looked up to apologize, Elena took her chance. She compelled the girl not to scream, and lunged for her neck.

Klaus had seen this before, with his family. When he had taken the dagger out of them and they had stumbled around, confused, not understanding the language or the fashion of that time. But this was something entirely different, he thought. She seemed to be completely out of place, out of time. He rummaged in his mind for the most ridiculous lingo he heard of the last decade and used it on her.

"You must be truly _half seas over _if you can't remember the year, love"

"Sure...Whatever that means, don't play dumb. I stand out" she disregarded his comment. He was starting to like this girl more and more, he thought.

"That you do doll" she should have been used to the pet names.

"I'm from the future." She ignored the compliment, and he enjoyed her resolve to do so. She wondered how this could have happened. Witches, vampires, werewolves, magic, sure, dopplegangers and prophecies, she understood, but not this. Not time travel.

"Living H. G. Wells are you?" he asked with a chuckle.

"And you're the Great Gatsby," she shot back. He laughed aloud at that, and she hated to admit she hadn't read either book. Though, Gatsby would be covered in her American Literature class during her next semester of college.

"I am nothing like Gatsby. A love sick fool." he analyzed. She felt as if she had something wrong then; and it must have shown on her features.

He laughed at her, quite loud and unashamed. She thought he might be the one _half seas over- _or whatever it is he said. Whatever the hell that even meant.

"I'm serious Klaus!" she growled and it only edged on his enjoyment of the moment. "Some psycho witch shaman stabbed me in the stomach with some blade and I like died, ok? I'm not supposed to die from that. That's the whole goddamn point of being a vampire, and then I wake up here- this tacky, awful party of yours!"

"What makes you think this is my party? I am the _big cheese _but-" he asked, ignoring her problem, enjoying her huff of frustration every time he added in another slang of the 20s. He had used one or two of the phrases himself, but had always found his usual form of speech eternal. Usually he didn't get caught up in the semantics of each decade; only used what he needed to blend, but this was too damn amusing to pass up.

"Please...human buffet, loud, noisy, jazzy, it's all very _original_-" she exhaled, taking a second to describe what she saw. He laughed at the pun and it dawned on him that she knew his family too, somehow. She wished desperately that she could get back to the matter at hand. She was used to having him worship her words; listen to her intently, not laugh at her. Not keep her around because she was _amusing_, not look at her like she was a fascinating punch line.

"Not at all my style. Are you sure you know me?" he almost sounded offended, "Perhaps the rumours simply precede the man" he teased, his ego out in full show and she took another look around the party; it did lack a certain class, she thought. She finished off her drink and felt the cravings subside; there were more important things on her mind. Number one, getting home.

"I provided financial supplement, the _clams, dough_ if you will, sure, but our birthday boy- do you know the Ripper of Mystic Falls?" her jaw dropped. She had heard that Stefan and Klaus had met in the 20s, but had never thought she would be in the centre of it, trapped in New Orleans where their brief friendship had flourished.

"He is the brilliant one who had the vision for this," Klaus continued speaking, but her mind was racing almost too fast for her to pay attention. Stefan was here, and the second Elena found out, Caroline knew she would try to get his humanity back. Caroline bit back any comments she wanted to say on the matter and tried to turn her attention back onto Klaus, wondering now how long she had spent at the bar, where her companion had gone, and whether they could find Stefan and get help from him rather than the Original Hybrid.

"…_human buffet_ as you called it," he was saying when she tuned back in, "I will pass on your criticism. Though, have you sampled anyone?" he smirked. "The blonde by the exit is quite succulent" his tongue darted over his lips and he smirked when he caught her gaze. She blushed again, and he was getting too much of a thrill out of his.

"Another top up _Old Sport_" he called to the bartender, and as soon as the glass had been refilled, he drained it, leaving it empty on the bar.

"Lovely to _beat one's gums_ with you _doll_, it's been _swell_" he winked "but gotta dash- best friend duties and all, you understand" with a quick pull he adjusted the lapels of his tux and vanished. Before she could blink, he was on the stage. She laughed at the idea of Klaus being friends with anyone, and couldn't help the feeling of discomfort that settled in her stomach. She had always thought his affection was annoying, his pet names frustrating, but now, somehow, quite irrationally, she found herself missing the Klaus of the future. At least he would have listened to her.

Elena only managed to taste a few drops of blood before the voice interrupted her.

"I do wish you would refrain from eating our guests Katerina" his voice was smooth, and Elena spun around, reluctantly pulling her fangs out of the girl's neck to face the eldest Original.

"Elijah" her fangs retracted, shock was suspended on her features, she was sure. She hadn't expected to recognize anywhere here- _wherever_ here was.

"Go." he directed the demand to the human, and she shuffled away without a sound.

"Elijah, wait—"

"You're a damn fool" he faced Elena, "Get out of here. Klaus will kill you"

"You have to help me!" She said suddenly, the begging was too much for him.

"You're truly mad Katerina, if you think I would betray my family for you again. I will give you a head start"

" WAIT! I'm not Katherine!"she tried to reason with him again.

"JUST RUN," he urged and then he was gone before she had time to defend herself. She had no doubt that he had gone to find Klaus, to tell him that she was there. Her attention was dominated by the stage as the room fell quiet, and the music joined the stillness as they all waited for something to happen. In the darkness, she moved with supernatural speed to find Caroline, who was still by the bar.

"We have to get out of here," she commented. "Like now, Elijah's here-" she urged, but then Klaus snatched the microphone from the singer of the band, and in a booming voice, he called out to the crowd.

"Wait...Klaus said this was some sort of birthday party for Ripper Stefan." Caroline whispered.

"I present the man of the hour! The Ripper of Monetary. The ruthless, the impeccably well dressed- but not best" Klaus motioned to himself and there was some laughter in the crowd; "the eternal, the birthday boy, Stefan Salvatore!" Cheers erupt as he appeared, and Caroline's first thought was that Klaus was right; Stefan was dressed impeccably well. Her second was that she recognized the blonde who had her arms around his waist.

Rebekah Mikkelson looked marvellous; her long gold flapper dress reached her knees, and her hair was short and pulled back. Her arms were wrapped around Stefan's waist as they made their ascent to the stage. Marks of her red lip stick were all over Stefan, his white shirt, his neck, even his lips, meeting some blood dried, staining his lips from an earlier kill. Whether he didn't notice or simply didn't care, Elena couldn't tell. All she knew that she wanted to be home. He detangled himself from the Original for a moment to sit in the throne, laying his legs out of in front of them; crossing his ankles. Elena was glad for his sudden detachment from the Original, but just as she thought it, Rebekah perched herself on the arm rest, her hand curled behind Stefan's neck.

"You'd almost think it was his kingdom and not Klaus.'" Caroline commented.

"Guess we found Stefan." Elena murmured aloud, unable to contain the anger that spilled out into her tone.

"I cant believe Klaus is here! God how is it that even like decades earlier in some other town he's here?!" Caroline growled, unable to hold in the frustration any longer. Unable still to escape the notion that they were drawn to each other. She kept thinking that no matter the time, no matter the place, Klaus would always be pulled to her. It churned her stomach, it made her sick with a nervous energy. It made her think of eternity and prophecies and fate, and quite frankly she hated any thought of it, so she downed three more fingers of whiskey and tried not to think of how good Klaus Mikkelson looked in a suit, illuminated in the gold lighting of the stage spot.

Elena stayed silent, her eyes fixed on Stefan's clothes; the bow tie, the slicked back hair.

"Oh, we've got an audience" Rebekah laughed into Stefan's neck, and Elena hated that she could hear it. Hated more that she was unable to look away as Stefan pulled Rebekah onto him, until she was sitting in his lap, sharing the tacky throne. It was all too much for Elena to handle.

"Seriously we have to get out of here" Elena commented. "I'm gonna be sick," still she couldn't look away.

"He's like a different person" Caroline remarked. Elena only managed a nod.

"Is it time for the gifts or what?" Stefan demanded, a mischievous grin part of his features.

"Well, we all know what darling Rebekah has gifted you on your birthday" Klaus said in a booming voice, there was a ripple of laughter through the crowd. No longer did the slow french jazz voice fill the air, there was only silence and laughter. "but the _bank's closed_ now!" Klaus called out loud. From the shade of Rebekah's features, Caroline didn't have to guess too hard what he meant, even if she didn't know the lingo of his time.

"Shut up Niklaus!" Rebekah growled, but she made no attempt to get off from Stefan's lap.

"And Elijah with the provision of the booze for tonight" Klaus continued; cheers, hoops and hollers accompanied the comment.

"Seriously," Caroline whispered under her breath, "this is ultra bizzaro land! Dapper, _nice _Klaus." _that isn't into me? _She thought, but refrained from adding "Ripper Stefan with Rebekah! This whole party. Someone called me a _dame _earlier!" she growled. Elena stayed silent, processing, pleading that this wasn't real.

"But I truly have the winner." Klaus smiled, his showy voice prolonging the gift giving.

"Oh god I'm gonna hate it aren't I?" Stefan laughed aloud and Caroline couldn't stand the rapport between them. Klaus had been right; _best friends._

Stefan leapt out of his seat- his throne, Caroline thought and stood. He kissed Rebekah hard, running his hands down her body before he turned back to face Klaus. Elijah, who she now spotted on the stage, rolled his eyes at the gesture. Klaus was too excited for the gift giving to comment on the sudden display of affection.

"I'll have you know, Salvatore, I spent time on this-" he started, before Stefan cut him off.

"Come on, enough with the show Nik! Reveal the damn painting!" Stefan laughed. The item in question was wheeled out in front of them. The picture was covered with the same red curtain that hung across the throne on the stage. With one quick pull, Stefan ripped the curtain off to reveal the masterpiece beneath. The audience responded with a mixture of laughter and gasps.

"OH GOD!" Stefan groaned, looking at the painting of himself as a young professor. The painting itself was masterful. A venetian canal peaked through in a window behind Stefan's head; Stefan drawn in proportion, with a serious expression, a hat atop his head. The brushstrokes were precise, the use of colour exquisite. Stefan looked dashing in the black shirt and white cravate; and quite unexpectedly the real, not painted Stefan burst into laughter.

When his fit of hilarity passed, there were drinks everywhere. The music started up again, blasting the horns into the crammed bar. Elena lost sight of Stefan, spotting him a second later near one of the humans, a frail looking girl who stood paralyzed on a chair in the middle of the crowd. Elena was unable to look away, watching in horror as Stefan bit down on her neck and cheers erupted from the other vampires. She forced her gaze away, as Stefan began to drink the girl's blood. Caroline realized, quite suddenly that no one in the room but the humans were compelled. That these were all their friends; a psychotic pack of vampires who worshiped the Ripper and the Originals. Who probably followed the parties; the booze and blood that poured freely each night. She felt, not for the first time that night, that's she was going to be quite sick.

"I heard the 20s were crazy, but this is just insane" Caroline commented, watching Stefan with a mixture of hunger and disgust. She wished she could shake the hunger, it wasn't the time to let something so silly rule her.

When she looked back to the stage; Caroline couldn't help but feel the surge of jealousy that rushed through her. She had somehow expected Klaus' full attention, she expected him to come racing back to her. Instead, Klaus was seated in the throne; and on his lap was a woman whose beauty was so classic it made Caroline hate her a bit more. Caroline recognized her as the singer who was just lighting up the stage and lending her voice to the smooth jazz moments before. Her head was bent low to Klaus' ear, and she was whispering something to him in French. He responded with a laugh, and a few words in the language. For the life of her, Caroline hated that she wanted to know what he had said. She shook the feeling off, but couldn't seem to stop staring at the dark skinned girl reclining in the Original's lap. Elijah standing behind him to his right, Elena was sure in any instant Klaus would be alerted to their presence.

"Caroline!" Elena growled, calling her attention back to the moment at hand. They'd overstayed their welcome.

It took them a second to race towards the door, but it seemed their hosts were much faster.

Klaus was there, blocking the door when they arrived.

"Going somewhere Katerina?" he asked and Caroline noticed that either side of them was already blocked by an Original.

"I'm not Katherine." Elena contracted, praying for the miracle that they would give her enough time to defend herself.

"Exactly what Katherine would sa.y" Rebekah commented from behind them.

"So like you, Katherine Pierce." there was malice from the new voice. Elena spun around to face Stefan, all recognition gone from his features. He looked manic, angry.

"Ruin my birthday party." he said, and she spotted the fresh blood dribbling down his chin. Stefan wiped the blood off his lips with a handkerchief. Behind them, the now headless human was dead before she fell to the floor.

**Definitions**

_Zozzled_: Drunk

_Sheik_: boyfriend

_Handcuff_ : a wedding ring

_half seas over:_ drunk

_big cheese:_ important person

_clams, dough:_ money

_Old Sport:_ A term of endearment used to a friend.

_Beat one's gums:_ idle chatter

_Doll: _an attractive woman

_Swell:_Wonderful

_bank's closed:_ no kissing or making out - i.e. - "Sorry, Mac, the bank's closed."


	3. I'll See You In My Dreams

**Chapter Title: I'll See You in my Dreams**

**Inspiration: Song: I'll See you in My Dreams by Isham Jones, (1924)**

_Mystic Falls, 2014_

The pain in his head was so bad it pulled him out of his sleep. He groaned; shooting straight up out of his bed. He wasn't supposed to get hangovers, that was part of the deal; one of the perks of immortality. His mind grew, transformed and contorted with the addition of new memories. He felt it expand as it swallowed up the past, and it _bloody_ well hurt. Two versions of the same story squished into one brain, competing with thousands of years of knowledge and history.

"Caroline" the word was rushed, rugged on his morning breath. He remembered the birthday party; remembered how badly he had wanted to kill Katherine. For the life of him, he couldn't remember the end of the nightmare.

Klaus found his cellphone under a pile of books he had been reading the night before- and called her ( now wasn't the time to beat around the bush). It went straight to voicemail. Perhaps, it was just because it was early he thought. He pleaded with whatever deity existed, if they did. He had to be wrong, he hoped he was.

He called her twice on his way to the car, and sent half a dozen text messages. Each time he reached her voicemail he prayed it wasn't so; he prayed that she would pick up and scold him for calling so much, but instead each time he was met with _You've reached Caroline Forbes, I'm not here right now, you know what to do. _

"Caroline call me back. NOW. It's an emergency" he said in his second message, unable to stop the panic and anger from creeping into his tone. He called again. Each time it felt as if she was just on the verge of picking up, and each time when that greeting met him- worry got a stronger hold on him.

There was only one thing he thought to do; and leaving home behind he drove across town; making it to the Salvatores' in record time. He heard the beep of the car as he locked it behind him and rammed his fist against the door.

"STEFAN!" he shouted.

To his dismay, the other brother was the one to answer.

"What the hell do you want?" Damon asked, standing shirtless in the open doorway.

"We have a problem." Klaus said instead, that was the surest way to get their help. Though, he doubted he needed it; he would be fine saving Caroline all by himself; he could be the hero for once. The idea of the glory was thrilling, but he knew that the brothers would have his head ( or try to) if they found out he had known of their _precious _Elena's trouble and kept them in the dark. Besides, before he could be sure of anything, he knew he had to check with Stefan.

"Nope, no thank you. No more Original Hybrid drama." Damon shook his head. "Request denied." he started to close the door.

"It's about Elena." that's all Klaus had to say to get past the front door.

Stefan heard the words as he turned the key in the ignition; the car hummed to life, overpowering the sounds from within the mansion. He tried to drown out the desire to stay; to eavesdrop, to listen. But he had made up his mind; he was leaving the drama, Damon and Elena behind. He'd packed, and now it was time to go. The car idled, his foot hovering over the accelerator. He couldn't ignore this, as much as he wanted to. He had awoken with a strange dream about Elena, an indication that he was still far too much in love with her to handle this goddamn town. Curiosity got the better of him and he stayed still, waiting to hear exactly what Klaus had to say about his ex.

"How is this about Elena?" Damon demanded, not bothering to put anything on as he strolled over to the table of booze in the living room.

"Where's Stefan?" Klaus wasn't here for Damon's skepticism. All he wanted was to check his story out; to make sure that Stefan had new memories as well. Klaus' mind had finished expanding and the memories had stopped- mid story. He remembered he had been about to kill Elena, Katherine, whoever she was— to rip her heart clean out of her chest cavity. At least, he had wanted to.

Already it seemed like a fiction; the fact that Elijah had come back and convinced him not to dagger Rebekeh, the fact that he'd accepted Stefan's friendship, and Stefan's relationship with his darling little sister. It felt unreal, and he had to check before he began to worry and get the senior Salvatore brother worried as well, or worse; laughing at him. That he wouldn't be able to stand. Murdering Damon wouldn't curry good favour for him with their Mystic Falls Scooby gang, and the blonde of his affection, but he wouldn't have another choice if this was all in his head.

"It doesn't matter, say what you came to say Klaus." there was anger in Damon's tone. Klaus thought he should've called Stefan instead of coming straight to their door. The panic that the dream had caused had started to ebb and he was staring to realize how bloody ridiculous he looked. He should have just called and not driven half way across town- he thought, but it was too late now to go back. He had, in his panicked out state, thought of nothing but Caroline and the fastest way to get to her; calling and fact checking with Stefan ( if he even picked up the call) seemed a waste of time. Besides, if he was right in front of him, Stefan couldn't say no to the truth. Lazily, Klaus helped himself to 6 fingers of the strong bourbon, then he explained his dream.

"You're kidding." Damon laughed aloud.

"Quite serious actually." Klaus responded, regretting now that he hadn't called Elijah. He had thought to do so- but his big brother had more important things on his mind; nothing so trivial as this. There was New Orleans to take back, after all, and that was just a stepping stone. He knew Elijah had his sights set on Europe.

"So let me get this straight." Damon started, pacing the living room. "Because it's actually crazy….you're telling me that _you think _Elena and Caroline are _in_ the past?" he shook his head, looking at Klaus for a reaction; mocking his worry. "That's impossible." he pointed out.

"Yes, that's what I said. I don't need your bloody skepticism Salvatore, I need to speak to Stefan to check-" he repeated, but Damon interrupted him.

"_Right, _to check and make sure that he has new memories of them in the past, _sure_" Damon laughed, shaking his head.

"Have you seen Elena since yesterday?" Klaus asked, crossing his arms.

"No...but..."

"Bit odd for your girlfriend, isn't it? Not to see her or hear from her all day?" Klaus jeered, and Damon hated to admit he hadn't woken up to his usual morning text message from Elena. "And Caroline has not been answering my calls." Klaus added.

"She might just be avoiding your stalker method of flirting." Damon responded with a sneer.

"You try her then." Klaus responded. He would be a laughing stock if he had based all his fears on a damn nightmare. If Caroline was simply sleeping, or not bothering to check her phone. Or worse, maybe she'd lost her phone and he'd gone and brought the cavalry in and sounded like a mad man. If she had just blocked his calls, he truly would have to flee the embarrassment, or kill something.

"Fine." Damon responded, pulling out his phone. Damon tried Elena's phone first; which was turned off. Then he called Caroline. Klaus waited for the ringing to subside in silence, until he heard the familiar voicemail message. Damon hung up and relayed the message, though there was no need. He called Bonnie and Jeremy, and the worry began to settle in when he heard from both of them- neither had seen Elena or Caroline since the night before. Elena and Caroline weren't in the grill, the dorm, or it seemed, anywhere to be found.

"Jeremy said their cars are still at The Grill." Damon relayed, but still, he tried to remain skeptical, "Ok, unusual, sure, but not-not _science fiction-y_. That doesn't mean time travel!" Damon contradicted, still full of doubt.

Stefan could still hear him; and he cut off the power to the car, removing the keys from the ignition. It was the turning point now, he knew. No going back if he stepped back inside. Yet, he couldn't make himself start the car again. At first he too had thought it was just a dream; but the shared subconsciousness meant so much more and he knew he couldn't ignore it, no matter how much he had wanted to. This town had a hold on him, Stefan thought, as he stepped out of the car and raced towards their bickering voices. He had to save Elena, then he could leave. He couldn't very well abandon Mystic Falls and his brother now.

"He's right." Stefan's voice carried from the foyer, and a second later he was in the living room with them, pouring himself a drink as he spoke.

"I remember them...in ...in the 20's…how is that possible?" Stefan added. Klaus kept his mouth shut; he let Stefan stumble across the truth slowly. "We saw them at the birthday party you threw for me."

"Wait...birthday party?" Damon asked, skeptical. "You're kidding me."

"No." Stefan said aloud. "We...were best friends," he looked to Klaus suddenly. Klaus nodded, accepting the past as truth as well. "Well Ripper Stefan was," Stefan added, as if embarrassed that he would've ever gotten along with the maniacal hybrid.

"Well this just got a hell of a lot weirder." Damon commented, "have I mentioned Ripper Stefan has terrible taste?" he stopped pacing to throw back a glass of scotch. He had to curb the cravings and focus on the matter at hand.

"We definitely have a problem then. If you remember them." Klaus ignored the insult.

"What kind of problem?" Damon demanded.

"Well, we thought Elena was Katherine" Stefan said, reconstructing the dream. It had felt like yesterday; it had felt so real. He remembered the guilt that had rushed over him when he had murdered the poor human in the middle of the crowd. He remembered hating Klaus' birthday present, thinking it was a hilarious joke, and had planned to hang it up in his living room. He had remembered his tryst with Rebekah before the gifts had been given. But most of all he remembered encountering Katherine and hating her for ruining his party.

"And I was about to kill her" Klaus added. They exchanged a worried expression.

"And? Well?" Damon cried, exasperated. "Do I seriously have to ask you if you killed her or not?" he growled "Should I be grieving my girlfriend from dying 100 years ago right now?" he demanded. Stefan twitched at the sudden use of the affectionate term. He'd been ready to go to Portland, to leave Mystic Falls behind and let Damon deal with all the drama. It seemed that now, he wouldn't be so lucky. It seemed that Klaus had no intention of working with Damon if he wasn't involved.

"I don't...know..." Stefan tried desperately to come up with an answer. He tried to bury the guilt, drinking a glass of the strong stuff. He felt it rush to his insides; burn him with heat, but still the guilt thrived. He knew he shouldn't have come home to pack.

"What do you mean you don't know!" Damon practically shouted.

"Because it hasn't happened yet!" Klaus responded; trying to calm him.

"What? How has it not happened yet?" this is exactly why he hadn't wanted the senior brother involved, Klaus thought to himself. It seemed whoever was currently sharing their bed with the Gilbert girl turned out to be the more unstable and neurotic when something happened to her.

"It is happening right now. In the past," Stefan clarified, taking another drink. Unusual for him, Klaus thought, but then he supposed the dream was already affecting them both far too much.

"So what?" Damon laughed aloud, "we…..we just wait and see? How do we save them? How do we get them back?" he demanded. He wanted to throw something; he wanted to rage against some invisible monster that had taken Elena away from him. Just as he'd gotten her back. Just as she had been finally _his_ again. This was the opposite of fair, he thought bitterly.

"I don't know." Klaus admitted.

"Well that's really goddamn helpful Klaus!" Damon responded with a snarl.

"Do I need to remind you that if it weren't for _me,_ you wouldn't even know Elena was missing!" Klaus defended himself, furious at the eldest Salvatore. He hadn't wanted to deal with him and now it seemed as he'd be stuck with both of them.

"Yeah, trapped in the past where _you _ might kill her!" Damon cried. "How could this even happen?" he demanded further.

"Caroline said some witch stabbed her with a blade." Klaus remembered the conversation, fresh from his dream. He remembered how stunning she looked; how she had sought him out for help. How she had blushed at the comments, and how he had been messing with her; throwing 1920s slang at her and resisting the urge to laugh at her when she looked confused. He hadn't really cared, she had been a temporary enjoyment. He wanted to apologize for that suddenly, and the whole notion of the time travel was starting to give him a headache.

"You were with them yesterday, did you see a witch?" Damon demanded, rounding on his brother now, who was already drinking his third drink of the morning.

"Are you seriously going to blame me Damon?" Stefan responded, wondering if he deserved it. Ever the hero, martyr, Stefan Salvatore.

"I will actually. You had to run off and pack for your stupid trip because you can't handle being in Mystic Falls with your _family _an…and and now they're trapped-" Damon was rambling now, all rage and emotion. Klaus was sure he was about to break something valuable in his own house. The sudden confession was juicy gossip for the hybrid, and he wondered if the girls knew that Stefan had been about to flee the town simply because love had made a fool of him. He wanted to laugh at Stefan's predicament, but then remembered Caroline's effect on him, how he had jumped out of bed at the idea of saving her. He stayed silent, and kept his insults and thoughts of mockery inside.

"I care about Elena too!" Stefan shouted suddenly, as if anyone had said something to the contrary. "I was about to say goodbye to her yesterday and thought better of it, so yes, I went home early-"

"And left them exposed to some crazy witch-" Damon growled.

"Shut up!" Klaus snapped at them, "we're wasting time with your contest of who loves Elena more" he scowled, "All we can do is try to find out more about this damn witch."

"Fine. We'll go to the Grill, see if we spot any clues." Stefan agreed.

With that, Klaus choose to leave their company and do his own research. Telling them he would return when they had more memories, more to go on, he left them to their bickering.

/

_New Orleans, 1928_

The party was unstoppable behind them, and none of their guests had seemed to notice that the Original family was having a show down at the front door with the newcomers. A sweet jazz flowed out of the singer, and the loud hub-bub of conversation still raged on.

"Katerina." Klaus' voice was pure venom. Even Stefan had looked suddenly sober; too shocked to be in a good mood any longer.

"I'm not Katherine! My name is Elena Gilbert." Elena started, fear pounding through her. She couldn't understand how this had even happened, but all she wanted to focus on was getting out of this alive and to get back home, then she would worry about the why, and the _how._

"A plausible life story indeed." Klaus snarled. He had been overjoyed when Elijah had whispered it to him; that Katherine was foolish enough to be here. His seduction of the singer was abruptly put on hold, and he knew even Rebekah wouldn't pass up a chance to see this, nor Stefan. They had all lost something great to Katherine Pierce, and he was pleased he would finally make her pay. It was only a question of what he would do to her, death seemed far too simple.

"I was born in 1992 in Mystic Falls-" Elena continued.

"You think I'm going to believe that?" Klaus looked maniacal, and he laughed aloud. "I've hunted you for 400 years Katherine-"

"Niklaus!" Elijah's shout shushed his brother, "let her talk-"

"Big brother, all ready to protect his precious Katerina-" Rebekah's voice joined the fray, and it too was filled with malice.

"LOOK! I am not KATHERINE!" Elena repeated, desperate.

"I don't know Nik." Rebekah spoke up, looking over the brunette."Might not be her." Rebekah continued, "doesn't Katherine usually smell like a brothel? Dress a bit worse?" she asked, laughing at her own joke.

"Ah yes, it's Eau de cheap lay." Stefan interjected, a smirk gracing his lips. He caught the gaze of his lover and they shared a laugh at the insult.

"Not Manipulation by Chanel?" Rebekah continued, before she was cut off.

"OMG!" It was Caroline who spoke up now, groaning. "Are you all really that _thick?"_ she demanded. Rebekah looked taken aback, as if she was going to snap Caroline's neck just for speaking up. Klaus was caught suddenly off-guard by her insult.

"Caroline!" Elena chided beside her companion, fear still controlling her. Caroline thought better of the insult, wishing she hadn't just called them thick, but she powered on, trying not to think of how quickly they could kill them, how they would never see home again and her mother would just be left wondering where she was; a missing person, a sad black and white photo on a milk carton. Never would anyone know what happened to them, and that scared Caroline more than anything else.

"No I'm serious Elena!" she addressed the Originals and Stefan, "You're talking about Katherine Pierce, okay? The most cunning, crazy, manipulative vampire bitch ….like ever. And you honestly think she would just show up to one of your parties?" Caroline spoke aloud.

"Nik! Do you know this dame?" Rebekah threatened, "because I'm about to rip her bloody head off if she doesn't stop talking!"

"You will do no such thing little sister." Elijah spoke up as their defendant for a moment, thoughts churning in his mind as he came to the conclusion; "She is right…New Orleans is ours, Katherine is terrified of Klaus and she would never come to the city that we have claimed and ruled over for years!"

"I thought you were smarter than the rest of these boys, 'Lijah. Falling for Katerina's charms all over again?" Rebekah laughed aloud at her oldest brother.

The eldest original continued, ignoring her insult;"If this girl is who she says she is, we've no reason to harm her." Elijah reasoned.

Stefan paused, walking around Elena full circle, as if examining her. They had to admit, Elijah thought to himself, that her dress was different. The tight pants and sweater were futuristic, perhaps as she had said. Klaus looked deflated, Caroline thought, noting that he no longer looked as if he would be getting what he had wanted for 400 years. But she knew they weren't out of the woods yet.

"So….If you're not Katherine, why do you look exactly like her?" Stefan demanded.

"Yeah, get out of that one." Rebekah cackled at them, wanting to rip the perky blonde's head straight off. She couldn't believe this, the damn party had been interrupted with some new intruders and she just wanted to get back to the bottle of booze she had been drinking, and to convince Stefan to dance. The faster Klaus got his bloody revenge, then she could have Stefan back in her arms, and that could not come soon enough, she thought. The blonde was starting to get on her nerves as well, and she wouldn't mind ripping her head off as Klaus finished off the Katherine- Look-alike.

"I'm her doppleganger." Elena admitted. Klaus broke the silence with a loud laugh.

"That's ridiculous!" he managed.

"It's not Klaus, she's a doppleganger," excitement over took him, and it must have shown on his features, for the blonde continued, "but before you even think about like siring a whole family of crazy hybrids, you can't use her blood, 'cuz she's a vampire!" Caroline blurted out, quite enjoying the reaction she got; mild surprise and confusion on the hybrid's features.

"How do you know us?" Elijah's tone was defensive as he demanded the response. Caroline huffed out a loud sigh, annoyed with the whole lot of them already. She was tired of having to explain themselves, but at least, she thought, it seemed as if they were no longer in immediate danger.

"We're from the future." Elena responded for her.

Klaus laughed again. "Thats what your blonde friend tried to tell me earlier." _Caroline_, the Katherine look alike had said her name, and he couldn't tell why it sounded sweet, like a wine with notes of honey and summer time. He shoved the thought down and wondered if he would be lucky enough to get his revenge tonight.

"It's not preposterous." Elijah interjected, level headed. It seemed as if he was on their side now, Caroline thought. She looked to him with hope.

"There is said to be a doppleganger every few hundred years or so. If this one is from the future then it stands to reason they are telling the truth." Caroline watched Klaus' features for some sign that he would let up; that he would listen to his brother's words.

"Look, I want to make a deal with you." Elena said suddenly, meeting Elijah's gaze, it was time to start worrying about the _how _to get the hell out of here, "we know where Katherine Pierce is. She faked her death in the Mystic Falls fire, and she is alive. I will lead you to her," Klaus looked suddenly interested, and Stefan perked up at the thought, "if you help us get home to _2014._" Elena finished her proposition.

"The 21st century?" Rebekah laughed aloud, "well good to know we make it all…wait, we do all make it, right?" she demanded.

"Yes. We know you all in the future. That's how we know so much about you and recognized you." Caroline commented, looking at Klaus, though he refused to meet her gaze. Intent to look at Elena now, as she held the promise of what he most wanted in the world; revenge, and Katherine Pierce's head.

'_And why you knew who I was_' Elijah thought the words but kept them in, he would have to warn her, to tell her to keep her mouth shut and say nothing of his mistake earlier; of telling her to run; of warning her. He had been lucky enough to escape a dagger from Nik for some time but that would be betrayal in the hybrid's eyes and there was no getting away from that.

"We will help you get Katherine." Caroline agreed, going along with the lies flawlessly.

"It's a bloody ruse. Just let me kill them. They're annoying Nik and they're spoiling Stefan's party." Rebekah whined.

"You will do no such thing!" Elijah's voice thundered as he rose to speak over her. "We accept your deal" Elijah said instead. "You have my family's word" at those words Rebekah stepped back, scowling.

"Well," she commented, "that was bloody anticlimactic."

She added after a pause, "Wouldn't it have been _just_ the best if you got to kill Katherine Pierce on your best friend's birthday?" Caroline didn't realize Rebekah was mocking him, until Klaus spoke up.

"Shut up Bekah." he commented, sounding surly. He had failed; and he wouldn't have Katherine's head today, but perhaps, he thought, he could still succeed in tempting the singer to his bed.

"Well, jokes aside, I still have to give Stefan his birthday gift." Rebekah responded.

"Again?! You _bear cat._" Stefan laughed aloud, and though Caroline had no idea what it meant, judging by the lust in his voice and the shade of red Rebekah's cheeks turned, she could only guess his meaning.

"NOT THAT! BLOODY HELL!" Rebekah growled, still red in the face "You think I'd just talk about that in front of my brothers?" Rebekah demanded, though she had seemed to have no problem with their PDA earlier. "Go sit in your god-awful throne." she directed.

"Yes Ma'am." Stefan commented as his parting remark. Rebekah was gone without a word; at the stage in an instant.

"And I suppose you too want to continue with the festivities?" Elijah asked, directing the question to his brother, though his gaze was set on Rebekah on the stage.

It was clear to him he wouldn't be getting Katherine tonight, and thoughts of a hybrid army, as the blonde had suggested, were diminished as soon as they had begun. There was only one thing he wanted still.

"Well I've waited 400 years for Katerina's head, what's one more night?" he asked.

"Not more important than your attempts to seduce the singer then?" Elijah asked, his eye brow cocked.

"You made the bloody agreement Elijah, you deal with it" Klaus said, growling in annoyance as a response to his brother's insult. _Attempts, _there had been plenty, but still Louise evaded his bed, content to flirt with him enough in public, to whisper sweet french words in his ear and give him a _check _or two, but nothing more. The decade had brought about dresses that were shorter, smuggled contraband and alcohol, wilder parties, but Louise, it seemed hadn't lowered her inhibitions enough to be considered a flapper, yet. He planned to change that, tonight. He joined Stefan and his sister, and the singer Louise on the stage. Elijah heaved a sigh, watching his younger brother with a mixture of annoyance and amusement.

"Real mature!" Caroline couldn't help the comment that slipped out.

"My brother is not well known for his maturity." Elijah responded.

To which Caroline only said, "yeah, no duh!"

"I find it very peculiar that you know Niklaus in the future" Elijah responded, looking at her now. He had taken time to look over her friend, the doppleganger, but one look at the blonde should've told him everything they needed to know. They were not from this time, they were new vampires, and seemed to be overjoyed to see the Originals, all the very opposite of what Katherine Pierce was or would do if she met them.

"What you mean, surprised someone hasn't killed him by then?" Caroline asked, to which Elijah only deemed a chuckle as a response.

"I want to hear more about it, over a drink?" he asked, "One night in the 20s wont kill you. Especially not now that you have our protection." he continued, just as the band started to play.

The singer's low voice serenaded Stefan, who sat triumphantly in the throne with Rebekah on his lap.

_It happened in Monterey, a long time ago _

_I met her in Monterey, in old Mexico _

"I suggest you grab a drink and get a bite to eat, we can discuss the terms of our agreement tomorrow and you'll be home soon enough." Elijah promised, before he began walking towards the bar.

_Stars and steel guitars _

_And luscious lips, as red as wine _

"I am starving," Caroline admitted, "and they're gonna help us." she shrugged, speaking to Elena. Surprised that Elijah had left the door unguarded, but she knew now, they had no where to run, and no chance of getting help if they did so. They split up, in opposite directions. Elena joined Elijah at the bar, taking a much needed strong drink, hating that she couldn't keep her eyes off of Stefan and the Original reclining in his lap.

The jazzy singer's voice continued in the background, as Caroline tentatively approached one of the petrified humans in the room. There was no vampires in line to feed from the stocky blonde man, and apologizing profusely, she pulled his wrist towards her and clamped her teeth down on his skin, drinking as she listened to the song that Rebekah had no doubt asked the band to play for Stefan.

_Broke somebody's heart _

_And I'm afraid that it was mine _

_It happened in Monterey _

_Without thinking twice _

_I left her and threw away the key to paradise _

_My indiscreet heart, longs for the sweetheart _

_That I left in old Monterey_

A part of her expected Klaus to come with them; to seek out her company. But instead, as she left the party with Elijah and Elena, she spotted Klaus sitting in the throne, with a back up dancer on either arm rest, laughing as he nursed a bottle of booze. Rebekah and Stefan had since left the party; and Caroline didn't want to think where they had gone, though she was sure she had an idea based on how close they had been dancing at the end of the night. She desperately wanted to gossip about it to Elena, to distract herself from the crazy trip, but kept her mouth shut.

"You will stay with our family, naturally" Elijah said, as he led them through the quiet, nearly abandoned streets of the town, and that was the end of any discussion on the matter.

**Definitions**

_Check: _A kiss

_Bear Cat: _A hot blooded or fiery girl


	4. Save Your Sorrow ( For Tomorrow)

**Chapter 4: Save Your Sorrow ( For Tomorrow) **

**Inspiration: Song: Save your Sorrow ( For Tomorrow) by Tin Pan Alley (1925)**

Despite the feeling of being trapped and her exhaustion; Caroline felt a rush of excitement while they walked through the streets. They only met a few people on their walk around town; and she was sure she would remember the hollow darkness of the closed windows and snuffed out lights. She wondered how many of the seemingly abandoned buildings had raging parties in the basements, or the cellars. They had since left the bar, and she had noted that the windows had been darkened, and that at each entrance there stood vampire guards, ready to compel any lawmen who guessed that prohibition was being ignored within the insides.

She would remember the flappers and their companions that she spotted in the courtyard; clearly drunk, selling booze, and being charged rightly so, desperately trying to plead with the police who were rounding them into a police car. She watched with curiosity as Elijah nodded to one of the policemen, wondering how far the Original's power stretched, whether bribery had been involved to keep the family safe from the law's reach.

She couldn't ignore the pounding exhilaration that passed through her as she took in this new world, this new place.

"Have you travelled?" Elijah asked, and he must have caught her gaze of awe when they passed one of the European influenced churches during their stroll towards home.

"No" she admitted. Elena, on the other hand, had seemed more nervous and anxious to get home; not managing to see the beauty in New Orleans, harbouring only anger for their current predicament. Caroline felt a temporary, foolish excitement at seeing the city during the day; hoping she would get time to investigate the past, and the town Klaus would not shut up about, first hand.

"How old are you?" Elijah asked, and when she answered he laughed out loud.

"No, your vampire age" he contradicted, then his features darkened as he caught onto the truth;"Ah" he responded, and it seemed as if he was holding in another laugh.

Whatever she had been about to say caught in her throat; silence overwhelmed her when she caught sight of their destination; mansion, didn't seem quite the right word for it. She gaped up at the massive, opulent structure; noticing the two guards on either side of the large gate.

"You live here?" she asked. They walked past the vampires and stepped inside. She thought it ridiculous that they should have any security, but then wondered if it was more to guard their home while they were away or the Original family within. Though they could very well handle themselves, she thought, and perhaps like the bar, they were a barrier between the law and illegal parties.

"Sometimes" Elijah admitted, "we have another estate outside of the city" he admitted, and Elena thought he was just showing off now. She surmised that he must have been used to the wealth by now. It was a two leveled compound unlike anything Caroline had seen before, and she wondered for the first time, how much wealth the Original Family actually had. Though they seemed to bespeak an aristocratic air, she wondered more about their history, she was curious, but not enough so to make a point to ask Klaus about it.

"Pretty big for just the three of you, isn't it?" Elena demanded, also in awe, though her tone still carried the anger left over from being trapped in time. Much of the party had been spent watching Rebekah and Stefan interact, watching Klaus laugh and dance with one of the backup singers, then another, then the first again. Elijah had spent most of the evening sitting at their table; going through the bottles of booze with them.

"More often than not, we have guests" Elijah responded, just as a holler came from a room on the first floor. Caroline's ears picked up the sounds; men, or vampires she supposed, playing a game, and more than a few of them, judging by the noise and the mixture of voices.

A goddamn hive of vampires, Elena thought, with terror, and the Originals were the Queen Bee.

"I'll show you to your room" he said, planning to do so quickly so he could join the current game of craps being played by Klaus' most recently made vampires; to cement the loyalty bought with wealth and booze. And this time when war hit; they would not be unprepared. They were vastly growing in numbers and had started to do so, at Kol's suggestion that they convince vampires to die for them, if ever Mikael managed to track them down. Even if Kol was boxed up and not around to fight, his big brothers would still protect him; and so would the vampires who pledged loyalty to them. A decade of alliances, and negotiations, Elijah thought, though it was a hassle, he wouldn't give up the power of New Orleans for anything. This was home, and he planned to have it stay that way as long as he could.

"I have a room downstairs" Elijah explained, leading them up the stairs; away from the noise of the dice game, "and this is Klaus' room" he gestured to the left of him as they walked past the door. Caroline kept her mouth shut; resisting the urge to comment. She _so _did not need to know that, she thought, and wondered why he had shared that information, when he'd left out the location of his sister's bedroom.

"And this" he stopped two doors down from Klaus, _great, _she thought of their close proximity. "Is where you ladies will be staying for the duration of your visit" Elijah responded, and Elena couldn't shake the feeling that despite the promised agreement, it sounded ominous. Elijah opened the door to one of the larger guest rooms of the compound and it was filled with furniture. Two posters beds had matching nightstands, a vanity each. A large settee also occupied the room; as well as the arm chair and book case by the massive window. In fact, Caroline could see the moon from the window; and it gave off a marvellous view. Even more exceptional, was the balcony that was attached to their room; the room glowed in the moonlight and in the morning the sun would simply bathe the whole room in golden light.

Caroline stared at the painting across from her bed as she climbed into the comfortable sheets; the print was of a the forrest under the glow of the full moon. She was sure she didn't have to look far for the artist. Exhausted from the excitement of the day, Caroline couldn't manage to ward off sleep any longer and fell quickly into slumber moments after her head hit the pillow.

Elena wasn't so lucky.

Elena didn't know if she was displeased or not that neither Stefan nor Rebekah stayed with them in the compound that night- surely visiting Stefan's home for a night cap was more than Elena wanted to think about. It was all too weird for her, she thought and tried desperately to remember the last thing she had said to Damon before she'd left, hoping she would have a chance to see him again, wondering if he had noticed she was missing. Wondering, even still if there was some strange future version of herself who had lived through the 1900s- if there was, would she even be with him? Would she survive great wars and find her way back to him? The thought of it made her head hurt and her heart beg for him, missing him and home badly. Caroline was already asleep and she felt utterly alone; listening to the sounds of the raging dice game that echoed through the compound; desperately trying to recall the memory of her future; of her home, her boyfriend and of her time.

_She had watched Caroline and Stefan out of the corner of her eye as she put the phone to her ear. She tugged the black sweater over her jeans and with her other hand nursed the beer. _

_"Caroline's beating Stefan at pool" she relayed the message; "Going to join us?"_

_"Stefan crashed ladies' night? For shame!" Damon responded, and she loved that she could hear the smile in his voice. She was struck with the thought that she should abandon girls' night for her boyfriend, just as Bonnie had done. But she knew that Caroline needed her; that she would see Damon tomorrow and it was the passion and the inability to think of anything but him that was propelling her thoughts. _

_"And Bonnie ditched" she remarked, "for Jeremy" she clarified. _

_"Wish I could join Stefan, Elena and Caroline's night-o-fun, but I can't" again he lied to her, not letting on that he knew his brother just wanted one more night with them; wanted to say goodbye before he headed west. _

_"Why not?" she remarked, but instead he just cut her off. _

_"I'll see you tomorrow Elena. Have fun—"_

_"I'd have more fun if you were here" she responded, and god she couldn't believe she was already missing him, it had been just three hours since she'd seen him last- ripped his clothes off and populated his library with her moans. _

_"It'll be weird for Stefan" he responded instead, "I'll see you tomorrow beautiful" and before she had another word to say, he hung up. Stefan had caught up in the game of billiards, and she was sure her beer was getting warm. She forced thoughts of her boyfriend out of her mind and wandered back over to her friends. _

_I'll see you tomorrow beautiful. The words and memory replayed in her mind and she heard them again and again until, finally, sleep found her. _

Klaus had returned home a little after 3 in the morning; furious and quite unsatisfied. He had failed on three accounts tonight, and the object of his attentions had left the party with another vampire. He supposed, too, that Theodore's seduction of Louise had been revenge, that he had been so quickly dismissed by Caroline for Klaus. There was only a question of how to proceed; to take something from Theodore, to kill the young vampire, or to resume his seduction of the French singer. If Theodore had managed to corrupt her pure soul, Klaus was sure he could do much worse. He had failed to get Katerina, a hybrid army, or to tempt the singer ( or her back up dancers) to bed. The compound was quiet when he arrived, remnant of a party scattered in the living room. The guests had left too; and the house was still. For a split second he stopped at his door; catching the rise and fall of breath; the sound of the girls' from two doors down. So, Klaus guessed, Elijah had brought the girls home and put them in _the Gold Room_- or so Rebekah had named it for the colour of the walls when the sun hit in the morning.

Klaus awoke even before Elijah, and choose to spend much of the morning reviewing their finances in the courtyard- coming to the conclusion that they should sell another of his paintings soon, if they wanted to keep all three of the factories they currently owned and operated. Elijah had wanted no part in the bootleg alcohol empire- saying that prohibition would eventually end, and it was too much trouble to keep the police and the humans of their home town satisfied anyway. He told Klaus again and again, that their power should be obtained through legal means; they were honourable, and not mobsters. Klaus had omitted any mention of their viking roots; knowing that his brother, like he, had chosen to reject home and any notion of belonging to Mikael. Monsters they could be, vikings they had been, and vampires the would embrace their nature, but they were not without honour, they were not criminals.

He'd finished his review of their finances and moved onto responding to letters by the time Elijah awoke, and came down stairs to read in the parlour room. Klaus had few to complete before he planned on joining his brother.

He looked up; quite distracted by the sound of Rebekah's heels as she made her walk of shame back home.

Elena woke, after a few hours of restless sleep to a clacking sound against the hard floors of the Original mansion. She could hear the voices carry from the courtyard below.

"The whole street can you hear, sister" Elena heard Klaus' voice first, full of insult and mockery. "Are you intentionally trying to shame our family?" he asked, setting down his pen and paper.

The clacking stopped and Rebekah's voice answered.

"Why so sore Nik?" she laughed aloud, like a cackle, thought Elena, not kindly. She rose out of her bed, surprised that her roommate was still snoring into her pillow, unaware of the dreams that plagued Caroline's subconscious mind.

"Still upset you didn't get any?" Rebekah continued, and the insult stung Klaus harshly. "I saw Louise leave the party with Theodore. I suppose he knows that you can't just shower women with money and expect affection" she laughed at her brother. "Don't you agree Stef?" she asked.

"I am staying out of this!" Stefan's voice responded to the question. Elena became suddenly eager to see him; she matted down the bed head she had managed to incur, taking in her appearance in the mirror. She adjusted the clothes she had slept in- jeans and a black sweater her boyfriend had yanked off of her in his library, god, it was hard to believe that had been just yesterday afternoon. Elena opened the door; giving one last look at Caroline; who looked peaceful, her face no indication of her dreams. Elena left the bedroom; promising herself she would be back before her companion awake, she had one intention; to find Stefan.

The clacking resumed in place of Klaus' response to his sister's insults.

"Ready?" Klaus asked instead. Klaus stood up as Rebekah climbed the stairs towards her bedroom. Abandoning his letters on the table in the courtyard; the pair headed out into the blinding sun, leaving home behind. Klaus was quite keen to show Stefan his real birthday present; a delectable, young treat in the woods. A delicious flapper that Stefan would rip into, and unsurprisingly, accidentally scatter limbs and head of throughout the woods.

Elena hadn't caught their sudden departure, and instead arrived downstairs to the empty courtyard, surprised to find it abandoned.

"Stefan?" she asked aloud, not expecting the voice that answered her.

"You just missed him I'm afraid" Elijah responded, his voice carrying from the left of where she stood.

The room was large and windowed, something of a living room or library she thought- and he looked quite peaceful, reading in the large armchair. The sun peaked through the window; bright and hopeful. She was pleased to find him alone, even if she had lost the chance to talk to Stefan. A few of what she supposed were Klaus' paintings hung scattered around the room; beautiful landscapes, most featuring a full moon.

"They've just left for breakfast" Elijah continued.

"Oh" she didn't mask how deflated she felt.

"How did you sleep?" he asked, polite conversation.

"Couldn't really" she admitted the truth. She hadn't been able to wait to get home and all night she had been restless, sure she had only caught a few hours of sleep before the clacking of Rebekah's heels had brought a sharp end to any rest.

"I want to get home" she admitted.

"Ah yes" he set the book down and looked up to meet her gaze, waving a hand at the empty chair across from him. "We shall discuss that when Klaus and Stefan return."

"Seriously?" she crossed her arms, not taking the seat.

"Quite" he admitted, "Do you know how it is that we have come to rule New Orleans for nearly a decade?" he demanded, and when she didn't respond, he picked up the book lazily, turning back to his page. A power play, having her hunger for every word as he took his time; as he decided what she would get to know. He continued as if she had answered his rhetorical question, "_As _a family" he admitted, "We make agreements and alliances together and-" she snorted, and it cut him off. He fixed his gaze on her, no mirth, no compassion.

"The whole family?" she asked, her turn to be rhetorical, "When Kol and Finn are in boxes?" she asked. It unnerved him that she knew so much about him, he thought. Again, he dropped the book from his hand; trying not to look at her and think of how much he resembled Katerina. "With Mikael still chasing you?" she continued, "You really believe that you work together as a family?"

"Do believe, Elena" his words were curt; " that any attempt to help you without Klaus' input would be seen as …..securing safety for Katherine, that Klaus would see that as a betrayal, so I tell you once again that we shall discuss the agreement once he returns from his hunt with Stefan."

"I shouldn't tell him then that you tried to warn me-" she couldn't finish her threat. He sat up in his chair, but the intent was all there. He buttoned the middle of his jacket and spoke with intention.

"On your _life_, I request that you will not" he threatened, and she thought it was one of the kinder threats she had received in her life. Tensions surely were high, she thought, if Elijah was threatening her. She had hoped he would be her one defendant, a salvation, someone she could expect compassion from. She had been hoping to separate him from Klaus, to talk sense into him and get his help, rather than involving the hybrid brother. She hoped his love for Katherine would make him split up from the family, but it seemed that in the 20s, they were not on the outs and she wouldn't have such luck. She tried desperately to escape the notion of dread that filled her up.

"Anything to stay on Klaus' good side and out of a box?" she asked. Before he could respond, however, Caroline's frantic voice carried, echoing throughout the mansion, "ELENA?!"

For a split second when Caroline woke up; she had forgotten everything. A strange dream; that's what she'd chalked it up to. A dream in which she was in the 20s and it was all wild, where she was the one sitting on Klaus Mikaelson's lap, seducing him in French, as Stefan and Rebekah cuddled and laughed at a table in front of them. As Elena and Damon stood at the bar, consuming more booze than anyone their age should. And when Klaus pulled her in for a kiss, she snapped her eyes wide open, assaulted suddenly with the sight of his painting across from her bed. Effectively awake, and bitter to be trapped in the past. She groaned, angry at her subconscious, angry more so, that it hadn't all been a goddamn dream. She threw her pillow towards the painting, it hit with a loud thud, tilting it slightly.

The reality of the situation hit her again and she knew nothing mattered apart from getting home. She was sure she would never get used to it- she was stuck in time now and the realization made her heart dive into her stomach and take refuge there; churning her insides with nervousness. The night before came back to her; how Elijah had demanded that they stay with the Original Family- Caroline thought it was more to keep an eye of them, rather than a kindness to the girls who didn't have a dollar on them, who were lost in time. New Orleans, 1928, they had found out. And the _Ms_ that adored most of the pillars of the city buildings told them all they needed to know; they were in the Originals' city now, and there was no getting out alive without giving up Katherine.

She had to shake all thoughts of Klaus and his french ( she hated that she had heard him speak it yesterday) out of her mind. But still the phrase repeated in her mind; though she didn't know the meaning. _Je te veux. _He had sounded positively compelling when he'd whispered it into the singer's ear.

She groaned loudly, pushing the hair out of her face, rising out of the bed. She spotted Elena's empty bed and any trace of sleep left her. She was terrified for a split second, she would kill _him _she thought, she would lay ruin to him if he had dared to hurt Elena while she was sleeping.

"ELENA?" her shout echoed through the compound. Then, not waiting for a response, she continued shouting.

"KLAUS!" Caroline screeched, all anger and hatred. She would murder him, she would torture him, she would bury him alive and dagger him, she would get her goddamn revenge if he had dared to touch Elena. "KLAUS!" she demanded.

"BLOODY HELL. We all have supernatural hearing. You don't have to shout!" Rebekah's voice met Caroline's ears. She didn't sound pleased to be woken up, Elena thought bitterly, never expecting the reason for her friend's panic.

"Klaus is out," Elijah responded, calmly.

Caroline headed towards his voice, still shouting, "I swear to god if he's hurt Elena-" her threats floating through the air.

"Elena is quite unharmed!" Elijah responded, cutting her off, "she's with me in the parlour" he responded, and seconds later, Caroline came into view with supernatural speed, worry on her features; breathing heavy.

"Thank GOD!" relief rushed over and she felt foolish, flushed red with the fear.

"Sorry! I thought I'd be back before you woke up!" Elena admitted, sheepishly looking to her companion.

"I was scared Klaus murdered you" Caroline commented, laughing at her irrationality.

"We made a deal, didn't we?" Elijah said, and for a second Caroline could've sworn she heard some tension in his tone, not knowing what she had interrupted.

"I wanted to find Stefan, talk to him" Elena explained. _More like talk him out of his murderous serial killer state and his relationship with the Original Vampire bitch_, Caroline thought, understanding the impulse.

"As I told Elena, Klaus and Stefan are out...getting breakfast" she was met with visions of Ripper Stefan and Klaus hunting together, and was quite glad she had not been invited. "They'll be back soon and we will all discuss the terms of our agreement then" Elijah explained, "with the whole family."

"So we just sit around and wait?" Caroline demanded, not used to the idle, languid life.

"You could play cards or a parlour game to pass the time" Elijah suggested, his attention fixated on reading _Ulysses. _

"We're not something out of Pride and Prejudice!" Caroline snapped back.

"It's 1928 Caroline, not 1817" he corrected, not even bothering to look up from his page.

She fought against herself to say anything else; to demand their assistance. They were in a different time and she was dealing with a different family, one unfamiliar with her. One who could, if annoyed just kill them and forget their agreement. It was better to grin and bear the boredom, and hope that Klaus Mikaelson would get home sooner than later.

There was nothing to do but read or play cards, and they each selected a book from the vast collection adorning the shelves; hoping they would get out of here soon.

The spine of Charlotte Bronte's book snapped open as Caroline began reading; feeling like fiction would help her take her mind off the stupid dream that had dominated her mind; and how badly she wanted to explore the city. Elijah had been right; she had never travelled, and she would rather they were doing something to kill the time; even if it was exploring their current imprisonment; the century before their own.

Elena found a book from the shelves of the library; pulling it down. If they had to do nothing;she thought she might as well be productive as she did so. _Mysterious Cases of the Supernatural; a look at witchcraft, hoaxes and unsolved mysteries of the 1800s. _She hoped the volume would give her some sort of indication of what had happened to them; or what they could do to get out of the past.

The silence last only a few moments and was broken by the sound of a phone ringing; shrill and sharp it echoed through the compound. Elijah disappeared to answer it and returned a moment later, his face grave with worry.

"REBEKAH!" he called, standing at the door as he buttoned up a coat. He looked as if he was about ready to go out and Caroline stirred at the thought; the idea that she wouldn't have to wait around for Niklaus. They wouldn't be quite so lucky, she would realize.

"What?" Rebekah asked in return, arriving within seconds to the door of the parlour room in a long, beautifully detailed white dressing gown, thrown over a cream coloured dress.

"There's been a problem at one of the factories and I must go-"

"No." she denied him, "I bloody own them too." she growled in response, "I should be able to handle a little mishap —"

"It won't take long," Elijah responded, "and you planned to stay home, didn't you?" he continued in her silence; "You know very well I approve of you taking charge of the factory, but please, little sister, this time let me deal with the conflict while you relax." he offered it to her, and Caroline thought that there was little Rebekah could do to fight him. She hadn't thought of the implications of the past; she realized then. Stuck in a place where the alcohol was prohibited, where parties were secretive and crime rates were high; where women had little equality, and had only started to wear pants or been able to vote for little over a decade.

"Fine." she responded, with a shrug; before she sunk into a languid state in the settee in front of the open window and wafting curtains. "Men." she commented, once he'd left and the silence pulsed like the wind that floated through the open window; moving the curtains every moment it did so, with a swishing noise each time.

"It gets better" Caroline commented, struck by the notion suddenly to do so; "…it gets more equal." she responded. If Rebekah had hear her, she made no indication, staying silent as she reclined in the seat; content to sit and let the breeze pass over her. Happy in her own languid boredom.

Caroline rose in the silence, stepping forward to analyze one of Klaus' larger paintings in the room; discontent and anxious to get home, but unable to do anything about it, she busied herself with looking at the intricacies of the painting; the brush strokes, the colour, the masterful use of shadow. She sat back down after some time; startled to find Rebekah respond. Elena had since abandoned the book on witchcraft; having found that it too, was fiction, like Caroline's book. She returned to the bedroom to nap for some time; finally catching up that sleep that had eluded her the night before.

"It's not so terrible." Rebekah admitted, "I go to the meetings with Klaus and 'Lijah," flippant, calm, she spoke as if in a trance, so calm and relaxed that Caroline wondered what they did for fun; and if they just sat around all day, reading, soaking in the sun and playing cards. "and I partake in our political negotiations with the humans and witches of the town."

"How can you just sit around all day?" Caroline demanded, keeping her voice hushed despite the urge to yell until the house shook. The fury and anxiousness to get home was getting worse the longer they waited. She doubted Elena had managed to get much sleep last night; and she seemed even more frazzled than Caroline felt.

"There's nothing to do 'till nightfall." Rebekah responded.

"You could try to help!" Caroline growled back, vicious, as she made her way through the book Elena had been reading before the combination of the sun and exhaustion of waiting around for _men _to do anything about their current predicament brought on a wave of exhaustion and sleep took over her. She abandoned it for another; this one thankfully not fiction, though it would not prove to be any more helpful; _Myth or Fact? Werewolves in our Midst!_

"You think I care about you? Or your predicament?" Rebekah asked instead, only moving slightly so that she lay on her stomach. Lazily, she tangled her fingers from the divan, watching her nails in the sunlight as the light danced across her hand.

"UGH!" Caroline growled instead; turning her attention back to the book, about to find, that it would have nothing to help their current situation.

When Elijah did return a few hours later; he found Rebekah in the same spot; paralyzed with her own happy boredom. The parts of her dress and gown that hung off the divan fluttered with the slow pulse of the wind as it trickled into the open room. The clouds had come out; and it had gotten considerably darker; but there were still many hours of daylight left; and hours, Caroline thought, to explore the city quickly before they went back home. The only noise was Caroline's exhausted groan of boredom and the sound of her turning the pages of the third book that she hoped would solve their problems; _Vampires and Vagabonds; and the truth behind Stoker's Dracula._ Elijah assessed, quite correctly that the 21st century vampires were quite unaccustomed to sitting around and letting nothing but wind entertain them for hours.

"When is Klaus going to be back?" she demanded, and it had been obvious the way that she had looked up at Elijah when he'd arrived- that she hoped he was his brother. That she was pinning all her hopes on the younger brother. What was the point, Caroline thought angrily, of having daylight rings if they didn't even get outside during sunlight? What was the goddamn point of being in a new city and era if you couldn't explore it? What was the point of making an agreement with the Original Family if they didn't bother to honour it?

"When he's back." Rebekah sounded out the words languidly, yawning, though how she was tired from doing nothing all day, Caroline didn't know. She wondered what else the Original family had planned that day; if anything, and if they even cared for Katerina's head. Rebekah made no attempt to move or get up when Elijah returned; quite happy to sit in the stillness and recover from the previous night's festivities.

It was 2:00 by the time they returned and Caroline was ready to snap Klaus' neck when he arrived. It wasn't just that she hadn't fed in too long, it was the fact that she had to rely on him and his family to get home. To get back to her her mother and friends. There was an anxious feeling in them, a restlessness to get home. Exasperated by the day's boredom; by the inability to do anything but sit around and watch Rebekah lounge; but talk about home and how to get out of here; hypothetical discussions that only made them hate being stuck here more. Surprise had lasted the first few hours; that Klaus and Elijah and Stefan hadn't raced home to demand Katherine's head; that they were too content in the 20's for a 400 year old grudge.

"Where's Katherine?" was the first thing Klaus had said when he stepped into the parlour.

"Are you kidding me?" she asked, angry. "Oh hell no Klaus!" Caroline had stood up, furious, and he was quite intrigued by her anger; her passion. He was in a better mood than before, since he had satisfied his hunger, and spent the morning strolling New Orleans with his best friend. His gift giving wouldn't be derailed by the idea of Katerina's head- no, she would not be able to ruin this for him as well.

Caroline's passion drew him back to the moment, her shouts echoing through the compound as she let on all too well that she knew him, and would not tolerate this. Perhaps, he thought, the ultimate revenge, would be bedding the intriguing blonde currently residing two doors down from his bedroom. That would be a victory he could hold over Theodore, for sure, and she seemed even purer than Louise, if possible.

"You make us wait around all day!" Caroline snapped"With nothing to do! And then you just _demand _Katherine!?" she was aghast. Anger had replaced boredom and exhaustion; fueling her now.

"Do you want to discuss the terms of our agreement or not?" he demanded, and she shut up at that. Silently storming out of the room; to return moments later; with Elena in tow. He was sure he had more yelling to expect; Elena was indeed furious, more at herself that she had missed them by a matter of moments in the morning; when she could have avoided wasting the whole day; dependent on their whims and choice to help.

"We know you." Caroline continued, once she had returned and picked one of the chairs in the parlour room to sit in, crossing both legs and arms to show her fury. He badly wanted to know just how _well_ she knew him. How well he knew her, but he kept the comment hidden, kept his smile in, not letting on that he was still effected by the alcohol and music from the night before. He doubted Caroline would like it if he just smiled at her attempts to yell at him, but for some reason, her presence inspired the gesture; inspired happiness in him.

"You'll double cross and leave us for dead the first chance you get!" Elena added.

She was fiery even when yelling at him, he couldn't help but think at Caroline's words; "We're not telling you where Katherine is until we have what we need to get home!"

"Fine." he responded, matching her tone, though he wanted to smile. Her resolve was quite brilliant, and she was stronger than anything he had seen before.

"The blade is called a Transcendence Instrument, Caroline." He offered up the information, watching her features for any emotion; he had remembered her name after all, and it had been spoken once the day before, while Elena had seemed to use her own name in every goddamn phrase she said. He wanted a reaction; a comment on his fine memory, when really, he couldn't escape the sound of her name, how it had lodged itself in his mind the second he'd heard it and he has been unable to shake it.

But, he supposed, she was more excited about the name of the tool that had brought her kicking and screaming to his world- and he liked that it had. She was far more interesting than anything had been in New Orleans for months, and that included making vampires every week, seducing the whole Louisiana chorus line, and hunting with his vicious side kick.

"YOU'VE KNOWN THE WHOLE TIME?" Caroline shouted at him, and again, he just wanted to smile at her passion.

"A Displacement Dagger?" Elijah asked, mentioning the item's nickname.

"I thought those were a myth." Rebekah commented airily.

"Obviously not!" Caroline blurted out.

Klaus repeated the statement with a touch more eloquence, "It appears we have evidence to the contrary" Klaus continued,"it sends the victim, once stabbed through the stomach into the past. Normally used against humans, not vampires," Klaus relayed the information to the whole room. Rebekah was still reclining by the window, and she looked for the most part uninterested in their new companions or their predicament. Stefan was helping himself to a healthy amount of booze, his feet resting on an ottoman as he relaxed in one of the comfier looking chairs of the parlour. Klaus paced as he spoke, quite relishing that everyone's eyes were on him.

"So what…these people have to …live their life in another era? " Stefan asked, crossing his legs as he reclined effortlessly in the chair. "That doesn't sound so bad" he commented, taking a sip of his afternoon whiskey.

"Sure. Just live without family, friends, or any comfort, anyone they know. And then they would die!" Caroline growled, and she had to admit she was being a touch dramatic, but she was furious at him for knowing the whole time; for keeping her waiting. "Probably of boredom if they were stuck with you!" Rebekah laughed aloud at that; slow and light the sound hung in the air; not until the tinkling of a bell.

Elena focused her attention on the more important matter, and Caroline felt bad that her anger was taking over her. "How do we get home?"

"A witch needs to perform the spell, perhaps a blood sacrifice, a ritualistic rune stone _may_ be involved—" Elijah began, before he was rudely cut off by Caroline. .

"Perhaps? May?"

"I apologize that I don't know more about this, but we've never encountered it before" Elijah responded, though he didn't sound the least bit sorry, Elena thought, bitter.

"One of us should go to your hometown, to see if we can find anything there" Klaus commented.

"Great, let's all go!" Caroline responded.

"No darling, you two know where Katerina is. I plan on keeping that information close" Klaus contradicted. "And I don't plan on leaving my home"

"I'll will take the train, and make the trip" Elijah responded. "And I will return soon, whether or not I find anything." he nodded, and with that he left their company. It was unsettling for Elena, though Elijah hadn't seemed like he would help them without the family's input, he was the one she had made the deal with and she was more fearful for her life if he wasn't with them; if he was off on a wild goose chase and wouldn't be able to talk sense into the younger, wilder siblings. Siblings that made her wait around all day with nothing to do. She was sure the Originals would be the death of her, and the cause would be boredom, if the continued on this way.

"So that's it?" Caroline demanded, feeling, not for the first time that they were prisoners of The Originals'.

"We could find a witch tonight and get more details." Stefan added, shrugging, as if that would make up for not being able to even return to Mystic Falls. As if that would make up for the fact that they weren't helping, that it seemed as if they hardly cared whether they got Katherine that decade or not.

"What's tonight?" Elena asked.

"We're going dancing!" Stefan grinned, "in the mean time ladies, I suggest you have a bit of fun here. You're in the _jazz age_ for crying out loud! Relax! Drink! Dance!" he proclaimed, as if it was sinful that they be preoccupied with anything other than pursuing enjoyment.

"You might want to go shopping as well." Rebekah's snide remark was the first thing she had said to contribute to the conversation.

"You go with them." Klaus demanded. His sister's response was not what he had expected.

"Are you out of your bloody mind? No!" she responded, apparently quite adamant to sit in the same place until evening came.

Caroline huffed, anger showing on her features, she said "We're not going to run away. We don't need Rebekah to come with us"

"I'll do it" Stefan had shrugged.

Upset that there was no more negotiation on the matter, Elena followed Elijah out of the room; hoping to plead with him.

"So how was your first day in New Orleans?" Klaus asked. Caroline huffed in anger at his attempt of small talk; and stormed out of the room. Sitting on her bed; focusing on her own anger as it boiled over her; she listened to Elena plea with Elijah, knowing that getting out of here would not be as easy as any of them had thought. God, she even considered getting stabbed in the stomach again by that blade if it just meant she could return home.

Elijah's room was simply furnished; but Elena felt as if it gave off warmth when she stepped into it. A simple bookcase and beautiful chair framed the window, but she didn't focus on the warmth exuding from the gold lighting; nor the expensive chandelier that adorned his ceiling; focusing instead on him, as he folded a few items into a bag. Clearly he thought he would be in Mystic Falls for a few days, at least.

"You're _actually_ leaving?" he turned to the door when she spoke; "Couldn't Stefan or Rebekah go or _all of us?_-" she continued, but he cut her off, looking back to his packing. He focused on the shirt he had folded, putting it neatly into the bag, before he folded a few more items; speaking as he completed the task.

"Bekah?" he almost laughed at her, and it sounded like he wanted to for a moment; "Should she abandon her home and family simply for one of Klaus' revenge plots? I think not, and as for Stefan, there is nothing for him in Mystic Falls anymore. And you over estimate just how much he cares about whether Katerina lives or dies." Apparently, she had thought, she over estimated how much any of them had cared; or perhaps the time had seemed to go by slower because they hadn't been able to do anything to get out of here; still as lost and hopeless as they were when they arrived.

"You can't just leave us here with Klaus-" she made no attempts to hide her distrust of his family, and he thought it peculiar, too that she didn't bother to lower the volume of her voice.

"He will not harm you. In fact, he would do anything to assure you stay out of harm's way"

"_Right_"

"I wager you would not want to try to live in the 20s without our protection-" he looked at her for the final phrase, and it too seemed like a small threat, in a way "how long do you think you would last without our it or our income for that matter?" he didn't hide that he thought he knew the answer; _not very long indeed. _

"I will call once I arrive" he assured her, zipping up the bag, effectively done packing. "And you may call the Mystic Falls Post Office and leave a telegram if you have any information of importance to convey. Or even send a letter." he assured her, though it sounded as if he didn't want to be bothered by her. It did nothing to alleviate the stress she felt at his impending absence. Already, what she had thought would get her out of here was falling apart; already things were going wrong.

"Klaus will honour the agreement, You will not come into harm" he promised, never thinking how quickly his promise would be broken. He left her without another word; looking at the space where he had stood in his room; wishing more than anything, that things were how they were supposed to be.

/

Elena Gilbert was frustrated, but in no way as furious as her companion Caroline. The store was poorly lit, and had an underwhelming amount of stock. There were a few style of dresses, some pants, popularized by Zelda Fitzgerald's scandalous appearance in white linen pants along side her husband some years before ( Elena had read the newspaper article beside the pants) and a limited section of accessories.

"I cannot believe them!" Caroline growled loudly, while she examined a few delicate and intricate bracelets in the expensive boutique. She was so angry the excitement of any travel or sight seeing had dissipated; the idea that they could be living in another time held no fascination and she was intent to be angry at Klaus, and his whole damn family. She hadn't noticed the beauty of the buildings, or the vibrant life of the town as they walked towards the shop Stefan led them to. She hadn't paid attention to the swarming, busy crowds, the live music, the packed streets with cars, filled with men who hung out of their shop fronts; accepting packages and getting ready for the work week. Or the women who walked through the streets in pairs or trios, tittering excitedly, in fashion that in no way revealed what kind of lifestyle they led at night. New Orleans was a mecca of sorts; almost as wild during the day as at night; and certainly vibrant; electric and busy. But nothing could distract Caroline from her anger.

"Sh!" Elena shushed. She was fearful that their chaperone would hear them. Stefan was waiting outside, leaning against the wall of the store as the girls went shopping.

"I don't care if he hears! We wait all morning for them and when they finally show up they don't do anything! And Elijah abandons us to go to Mystic Falls! So! Not Fair!"

She remembered the conversation vividly, intent on reviewing it her mind until she was worked up with anger; how when Klaus and Stefan had finally returned, it seemed that vengeance wasn't the only thing on Klaus' mind (for once) and they were content if the plan wasn't put into affect immediately.

"Caroline, it's ok" Elena tried to calm down her companion, though she felt the opposite. More fearful than angry, more resolved to get out of here than angry. Caroline spun around, still furious, and headed towards the hanging dresses.

"They have like 5 options here!" Caroline growled, looking through the set of dresses again. "Hmm short flapper dress, short non flapper dress, pants, long dress that would make me look like something out of the 1880s and oh well let's see…another flapper dress! I miss shopping in the 21st Century!"

Elena was preoccupied, not with the lack of clothing choices, but with thoughts of the vampire outside. She had sought Stefan out in the morning; hoping to talk to him, to explain to him the future and somehow to beg him to return to his former self. She didn't want to think about what she would do if she was stuck here; if she had to live out her days in the 1920s; she would miss Damon and her brother terribly, but Elena Gilbert was used to missing people. She thought she could cope with it; knew she would survive, and if she had to; would focus on getting Stefan his humanity back, and the second he did she would demand he help her, and they would get away from the toxic relationship of the damn Originals. She didn't let herself think on it any longer, wishing desperately that there was hope, that Damon had figured out what had happened to them and was working on getting them home.

"I miss the internet and tv and being able to do something other than like sit around and wait for Stefan and Kalus to get home!" Elena remarked.

"I wish," Caroline remarked suddenly, "that there was a way to send a message home, like a letter or something, to my mom." she shrugged, feeling the appearance of tears imminent, she shoved them down and buried them with anger.

"Or Bonnie, or Jeremy. Or Dam-" Elena started, but her conversation was cut short with the abrupt appearance of Stefan.

"Ladies, as much as I enjoy listening to the plight of you shopping in the 20th century, can you please pick something already?" agitated, on edge, he didn't seem the charming self he had been last night or even that morning, content to party and make jokes. He seemed on edge, and perhaps, Caroline thought, that the hunger was getting the better of him again.

"Why? Don't like it when you have to wait around for something?" Caroline snapped, pleased that she wasn't the only one angry anymore, hoping they would all mirror her bad mood.

"Actually, because Annette's closes at 3." he responded, matching her tone.

"What's Annette's?" Caroline asked, anger still impacting every word.

"The dress store you're in," condescendingly, he responded.

"Oh." She only took a pause from her anger, to regain strength, "Well maybe if you and Klaus hadn't spend all morning making us wait aroun-"

He interrupted her, not terrified that it would fuel on her anger "Listen, we'll get you something to eat, just try on a _damn_ dress. We have ten minutes." The audacity that a store would close at 3 was enough to fuel on her anger. She missed the 21st century again, with a pang.

"Fine" Caroline responded, grabbing a dress close to her. She had the sinking suspicion that they could keep Annette's open longer if they just compelled the store clerk. She could hear their conversation as she changed into the red flapper dress.

"What about you?" Stefan directed to Elena. "Pick something out yet?" his fingers fumbled over a dress she would look dashing in and he lifted it up her eye, eyebrow cocked.

"Stefan this isn't you." Elena ignored the comment, she had waited all morning for a chance to be alone with him and talk some sense into him. Secretly, she hoped she could get help from him and abandon the Original family, but she doubted they would be so lucky. If she couldn't work with Elijah, she'd rather deal with Stefan, she'd rather make alliances with a million vampires before she trusted Rebekah or Klaus, but she that wasn't what was in store for them.

"Well don't beat around the bush." the dress dropped to the floor unceremoniously from his hands.

"You're not a ripper." she continued, taking the much needed quality alone time.

"Apparently I am." he responded.

"No. This isn't you." Elena contradicted. Caroline lifted the dress over her head and it fell onto her; a little too big, but stunning even still.

"What does it matter to you?" Stefan snapped.

"It matters because….." She stopped, the words on the edge of her tongue. "Do you really not care about anything? Lexi? Your brother Damon-"

"Ah yes, Damon….you mean the brother who is intent on making my life miserable?" It was easy to pretend, he thought. He was intrigued by her, and he thought it was interesting that they knew each other in the future, in what capacity he wasn't sure. Though the care she showed him was something he wasn't used to; unending compassion. He didn't even get that from Rebekah.

"What about your father?" Elena pushed on, not taking no for an answer, not going to let this hell get any worse.

"Stop" he spat the word, because it had been too long since someone asked him how he felt, since someone expected him to _feel _anything and not just run around in a pack, killing, laughing and drinking. The 20s were all avoiding and forgetting the past; the war, family, friends, and brothers that didn't really mean anything anymore. He had wanted to pretend he was emotionless, but the guilt still ate at him. He was a ripper, and he'd learned to be more ruthless in the company of his vampire hive; compared to the Originals his violence was nothing, mild at best. He didn't want this, he couldn't stand this. It was starting to drive him wild.

"No. Actually, Absolutely not. This isn't you. I know the real you, protective, strong, kind-" she continued and he had enough. He hated her for a split second.

"Are you in love with me or something? Because I'd watch out for Rebekah then" he laughed at her attempts to get to him. He covered the seriousness with laughter.

"We were in love." she responded, admitting the truth, the memories of _her _Stefan piling on. "For years." she added.

"Were?" He asked, and she had to hold back from telling the truth; to bring him up to full speed, to tell him she was with his brother now.

"Yes. You became a ripper and we kinda….fell apart" she responded, selectively choosing the truth. Caroline looked at her reflection once she had zipped up the dress. It was easy to play pretend, when you had the wardrobe, she thought. And she had always been a fan of donning the different costumes for decade dances, but this was all too different. It seemed as if outside, Elena was reaching some progress with Stefan.

"Ok well. I'm not that guy. Get off my case _doppleganger._" Caroline could heard the pure annoyance in Stefan's tone. She pulled her curls away from her face, turning to the mirror to see the full effect of the dress, holding her hair up.

"No. Actually, never. If I am stuck here, know that I will make redeeming you my life goal. I will get you your humanity back Stefan. I'll find Lexi. I'll do whatever it takes." Rather than laugh at her, and tell her he had his humanity, he hated her. He could think of no other way to shut her up than moving with speed until he was behind her, taking her head in his hands and turning- until he heard that wonderful _crack. _Until she would just _shut up _already. He was a monster, and he damn well didn't want to be reminded of it. The 20's were about booze, and prohibition and forgetting anything that had happened before; depression, war, death, sacrifice. He hated her for trying to make him remember. But soon the guilt would bury him.

From the dressing room, where Caroline stood admiring her reflection in the knee length red dress, she heard the sound of a neck being snapped. Never expecting the sight that awaited her on the other side; her mouth fell when she raced out of the room to see Elena at Stefan's feet.

He look unperturbed, no malice; features plain, "God she's annoying" he commented before looking up at Caroline in the dress. He whistled loudly, signalling his approval of her in the gown, "you look swell, doll, you should get that one," he smirked.


	5. You're to Blame Honey ( For All I Do)

**Chapter 4: You're to Blame, Honey, For All I Do**

**Inspiration: ( It All Depends on You) by Ruth Etting (1927)**

He was sketching something that started out as nothing at all. Slowly, the traces of lines started to resemble her. He hadn't meant that. He thought it peculiar that his subconscious wanted to trace the lines of her gold hair, to draw her wide blue eyes. As soon as Caroline stared back from him at the page, he pulled the it out of his journal, and crumbling it into a small ball, threw it towards the trash can. It landed with perfect aim. There was no reason for it, he considered, that she should capture the valuable real estate of his sketchbook, when there was Louise to seduce, when there were half a dozen women in New Orleans the king had his eye on. No, he reasoned with himself, he would not let Caroline affect him. He would bury whatever he was feeling and focus on ruling his city, murdering Katherine Pierce, and doing whatever the hell he wanted. The problem lay in that his subconscious seemed that it very much wanted to focus on her.

Her shout reminded him that he wouldn't be so lucky to escape her.

"KLAUS!" she shouted the second they reached the compound. She continued as Stefan put down Elena's unconscious body on the dark oak table in the middle of the courtyard. The guilt had gnawed at him, and he had let her convince him to pick up the body. It was the least he could do; to take the young vampire back home. She looked peaceful, serene when she was…dead. But her passion and fight had been strong, he thought.

Caroline had no clue of his guilt, nor of the overwhelming emotions Stefan had felt for a split second when Elena had demanded feelings of him. Caroline thought she had fought tooth and nail just to convince Stefan to pick Elena up and take her home. In all honesty, the guilt had convinced him to do so; but he wouldn't let on that, not yet. He wouldn't let anyone see how bad that was.

When she had raced out of the change room; she had been paralyzed with what she had seen; for ten whole seconds she had stared aghast at Stefan Salvatore as he winked at her. Then she had screamed at him; profanity and a mixture of comments on her surprise and how she could not believe him, how he was a different person, how he was a terrible person had left her lips. She had the urge to hit him hard; but had instead barked _Pick her up. NOW! _ She hadn't even needed to threaten, he had obliged as she had raced back to the dressing room and changed faster than she ever thought possible; all rage and supernatural ability propelling her actions, then she had returned to find him holding her, as she'd demanded. Then she had made him carry Elena home.

"KLAUS! GET DOWN HERE NOW!" she shouted, hearing the echo of her voice. She was resolved to ignore Stefan and take her anger out on her favourite original.

Still in his bedroom, Klaus stood up slowly, paralyzed with the sudden thought that merely drawing her, or thinking of abolishing her from his mind, brought her back to his home, screaming his name. He would have to ask her what they meant to each other in the future, and perhaps, he thought, there was a reason he was inclined to use his pencil to bring her to life on the page.

"Do you do that on the hour?" Rebekah screeched. "Stop bloody screaming!"

"KLAUS! I SWEAR TO GOD YOU HAVE LIKE FIVE SECONDS BEFORE I —"Caroline shouted again, ignoring the Original sister who had answered her.

"WHAT!" he appeared in front of her, interrupting her. "Have a little trouble shopping?" he asked, the sarcasm slipping up. She looked brilliant, he couldn't help noticing; her hair flying free of her face, anger and passion hot on her features. Livid, that's what she was, but he couldn't help how his thoughts focused on how gorgeous she—. Then, he spotted Elena. All enjoyment lost, he turned serious. "What happened?" he asked.

"Why don't you ask Stefan? He just snapped Elena's neck!" Caroline exploded with anger, feeling as if she had never been so frustrated.

Klaus turned to Stefan for an explanation, "Can I ask why?"

"Well….she looks like Katherine, that should be reason enough! And she would not shut up about my lifestyle. _Eh, Stefan this isn't you, you're not a Ripper!" _he imitated her and Caroline only grew more annoyed at their predicament. She had never missed the real Stefan more. He continued speaking and she was surprised she hadn't already inflicted some damage on him.

"How if she was stuck here she would find Lexi and make it her mission to get my _regular boring self_ back." He shrugged, "So I snapped her neck. What's the big deal?"

"THE?" she started, unable to comprehend _how _this was his reaction" ….The BIG DEAL? WHO EVEN ARE YOU RIGHT NOW?" Caroline stared at him aghast before rounding on Klaus. "The big deal is that _you_ and your family promised no harm would come to her. Elijah guaranteed our safety! I thought that included protection against your psycho best friend!" Stefan didn't deserve a name, right now, he didn't even deserve her damn attention. She was so furious, she was surprised she hadn't snapped his own neck.

"She's a vampire!" he defended himself. "She'll wake up in a coupl-"

"Are you bloody serious Salvatore?" Caroline noted the venom in Klaus' tone. She could feel the anger coming off of him, and he barked at his friend "Am I to be the responsible one in Elijah's absence? To regulate your desire to harm on a _bloody goddamn whim! Because she was annoying?_" he was furious, not that Stefan had snapped the girl's neck- he hardly cared about that, but the blatant fact that Stefan was ignoring the Originals was the more punishable offence. Stefan should not dare, Klaus thought, if he wanted to be alive much longer, challenge their power. The loss of Stefan's loyalty, even if subtle could propel a whole rebellion; it could start a mutiny and their vampire army could turn into an army of enemies.

"WE PROMISED THEM SATEFY" he was shouting now "and you just snapped her neck?" Caroline was glad Klaus was furious and though she could tell he cared little for Elena. Whatever the reason, Caroline felt that it was nice to have him united with her, on her side, but she buried the feeling in her depths.

"It won't happen again!" Stefan said defensively.

"Bloody well you're right it wont!" Klaus continued, showing the poor ripper who was the alpha, who was the hybrid and who had ruled New Orleans with an iron fist. Klaus could dispose of him in a bloody second if he didn't listen, friendship be damned, and Rebekah would get over it, give or take a thousand years. But he would not lose his home to a damn power play with the simple Ripper of Monteray. "You are not to harm Caroline or Elena!" he barked and he couldn't help how her name was first. How already he preferred the blonde to the annoying Katherine look alike. How he would rather preserve her passion and and wouldn't mind if her companion was dead after all. Life had laughed at him earlier, and any attempt to avoid how he felt about Caroline would only bring the feelings on stronger. Stefan was smart enough to spot the cue to leave; and left them without another comment. Rebekah's voice thundered through the compound;

"Even if they're being particularly annoying and make it a point to shout even though we all have vampire hearing!?" she made her distaste of Caroline known.

"Yes. Sister. They are our guests and you will not harm them!" Klaus responded, matching his sister's shouting volume, then he turned back to Caroline. "You have my word, Caroline. I will honour the agreement my family made"

"Don't you mean prisoners?" She scoffed at him, ignoring his promises and so called honour.

And he was resolved to show her he hadn't. "No. You may leave whenever you wish" he assured her, "In fact, I suggest that you go and get a quick bite to eat. You must be famished. I will stay here and watch Elena. I will personally ensure that no harm comes to her," he promised.

"_Yeah_. As if! I'm not leaving her alone with you" Caroline responded.

"You don't trust me?" he asked. Confused even still what they meant to each other in the future. She knew him well enough to make guesses of what he would do; to comment on his activity, to have enough gall to stand up to him when very few would dare, but trust, it seemed, was not part of their relationship.

"It has to be earned Klaus" she responded, vaguely remembering a conversation they had like that in the past…or she supposed it was the future, now. The time travel was making her head spin. She leaned forward to collect Elena into her arms herself. She couldn't believe Stefan had done half the job; leaving her out in the open, on a table outside no less.

"Let me" he was on the other side of the table in an instant; and picked Elena up into his arms before she had responded.

"Sure, fine" she waved her hand at the gesture, as if she was the one doing him a favour.

He returned to his desk with no illusions whatsoever about getting her out of his thoughts. She was going to stay there, and it seemed he could do nothing about it. Her passion and spirit had captured him, and he could admire it while seducing Louise, and planning on expressing his affection for Louise's back up dancers as well. After sketching her and tossing the drawing away, this time because he failed to capture the light in her eyes, he walked around the compound; surprised to find it for the most part abandoned. Stefan and Rebekah had disappeared without a word, and he was glad for it. He only would have yelled at them if they had been around. Leaving the guards in front of the compound with express instructions to guarantee the safety of the girls upstairs, he left the compound with one goal in mind.

Caroline felt as if she was a fool, for assuming that they would be safe; that somehow vampires who they would know in 100 years would ever care for them. She watched Elena for some time, and when it was clear she wouldn't be conscious again for some time, Caroline inspected the book shelf in the room. Only fiction stared back at her; no trace of a title that would help them get back home, and she had no desire to go to the room downstairs to pick up a text, lest she run into Stefan. The time passed too slowly for her liking as she lazily read through Jane Eyre, sitting on her bed, letting missing home dominate the forefront of her thoughts. She had wasted only an hour before the knock on her door finally brought her attention back to reality.

"Caroline" Klaus nudged the door open and his voice carried through the crack. She turned at the sudden use of her name, unable to help how quickly she snapped at him.

"WHAT?!" She was resolved to be angry at the whole lot of them for the whole day.

"Still cross, I see" he speculated, and she hated the bemused look on his features.

"I don't think I'll ever get over Stefan killing Elena!" she responded.

"No, I suppose it's not something you'll let go of lightly" he admitted, "though perhaps this may help" he said, setting down a bottle of wine on the vanity.

"_Great, _alcohol_"_ she laughed at him, not impressed.

"I did go to great lengths to buy this I'll have you know- not being legal and all" she didn't care for the trouble he went through; not knowing the significance of it. He continued after a moment, "And lunch" he commented, beckoning the compelled girl forward; he had picked someone plain; not young enough to incur sympathy, not old enough that Caroline would feel bad for feeding from her. It had been a bit like shopping; finding the right human for her in the quarter. A peace offering of sorts. He didn't get the praise he expected.

"Oh" she commented, not able to help how suddenly she felt the hunger take over her; maybe it would wane some of the frustration the morning had caused her. She stood up and came towards him now. She catalogued the moment in her good books for him, and stayed silent, pleased that she would finally satiate the wild hunger within her.

"Do you mind if I join you?" he asked, and from behind his back, he revealed two glasses and a book. He had planned to read the book in the study anyway, while Stefan and Rebekah went out for their own lunch, and whatever they did- he didn't want to think of. He felt the languor of the 20s washing over him, and would be quite content to sit in the sun and read, with nothing but Caroline's beauty to distract him from Fitzgerald's words.

"Yes I mind" she responded, barely registering his question. "Go away Klaus." She commented, circling her treat.

"I had thought the peace offering-"

"I get it, we're your _guests"_ she laughed aloud him; showing him that she didn't quite get it at all.

"Well then perhaps you will accept my offer. I will watch Elena." he continued, with no intention of leaving. He crossed the room and sat in the chair beside the window, watching her as she dug her fangs into the girl's neck. As she drank the blood and it ran red down the side of her lip; he forced himself to look away; unable to catch up to the speed of his racing heart. He heard her pull away a moment later; and resumed the conversation; with some difficulty. He hadn't expected her to feed in front of him; not entirely displeased that she had. She had made it clear; he came second; third maybe even, to hunger, to Elena, to anything. Still he had the sudden desire wash over him; to have her teeth clamp down on his very own neck. He opened the bottle of Merlot and poured two glasses. The bloody desires would have to be kept at bay, for now. He continued, "I promise I will not harm her."

She compelled the girl away; with kindness to forget the ordeal. He had planned to give the poor girl an untimely death; or to Stefan, though his behaviour certainly hadn't warranted any gifts or good favour.

"You need to go shopping Caroline." he had trouble continuing, sure he wouldn't get the image of her feeding in front of him out of his mind any time soon. He watched her as she approached him, her footsteps light on the wood. For the split second that their fingers met- as she snatched the glass of wine from him- he felt a surge, a pulse of electricity.

"Sure, normally I'd like love that, but there are more important things right now!" she commented roughly, finishing the contents of the glass in one long drag. She handed the glass back to him; silently demanding a refill. He obliged, before taking more time with his own glass; savouring the contents as much as he savoured her beauty, which was exceptional in the glow; against the gold coloured walls, the sun still high.

"Rebekah's remark was not only to be snide" he continued "you and Elena need to blend in, it's important actually. The witches in the quarter can be quite superstitious and if they find out you are from the future, they might try to use your knowledge, Or kill you"

"Oh well, _That's fantastic_!"She responded, thinking _Great! Another risk. _

_"_They have in the past thought those who possess the powers to see the future -"

"Are what, like cursed or something?!" She demanded. He laughed aloud, shaking his head.

"No, that they upset the balance. That they know more than they should and could influence the world to their will. They think no one should have that much power."

"I'm not leaving Elena" she responded instead and to him it seemed more fearless and loyal than idiotic. That he could understand.

"Then we'll just have to find another way for you and Elena to get what you need to blend in. In the mean time" the book made a _thud_ as he dropped it onto the vanity, "read up love" he said. He hadn't meant to leave it for her; but in his final moment he couldn't help himself.

She noted the cover as she reached forward to collect another glass of the Merlot; _The Beautiful and the Damned. _She had heard analysis of Fitzgerald, that he had single handily coined the phrase for the jazz age. That he and his wife had become what they had said they would, beautiful and then damned. Also she knew that the _Great Gatsby, _was the shortest novel that perfectly encapsulated the feeling of the 20s. She ignored the book, and took a seat beside Elena's bed, resolved to watch her best friend until she awoke.

"We're not going" she responded, wishing he would just let her sulk in silence already.

"You really want to stay at home _all_ _night_?" he asked, eyebrow perched in mockery. It seemed, he already knew her too well.

"No" she responded, downing her third glass of the wine. "But if Elena's not awake—"

"I assure you Caroline, there will be enough booze to forget all about your unfortunate and abrupt arrival to my era" he stood, feeling that her arrival was anything but. He stood, as he made his final promise and left the bottle.

"And there will be a witch and who knows you might even have fun!" he shut the door quietly behind him.

He heard her comment travel to his room; the words muttered harsh under her breath; perhaps to herself or her unconscious companion; still they made him smile.

"Have fun, _yeah right not likely!"_

_/_

He didn't know why he had done it. Why he had banged on Annette's door and demand she open up the shop again. Compelled her to tell him which dresses would look best on the girls that had been in there earlier. (It was an ordeal to compel the memory of Stefan's little mishap that the Ripper had removed from the her mind; then wiping her mind once more once he had what he needed) He added the cost to the Rebekah's tab at the store, though he knew he had done that out of spite for little sister's snide remarks. She had to learn somehow. He could have told Rebekah to stay at home and watch the _out of towners_ as he and Stefan found the right witch. Lunch was enough of a peace offering; but this was so much more. He wondered if Caroline noticed his absence, or really that the whole house had been left in their hands; only the guards that stood outside the walls of the compound for security. A true show of the fact that they were guests and not prisoners; though, still, he doubted she had noticed. He had wanted to have the guards posted outside of her room- for her safety, but she had proved very well she could handle herself, and he doubted she would see the gesture as a means of protecting her. No, she wouldn't let go of the fact that they were trapped.

He had hand written a note and deposited the box in front of the guest room door. Caroline was surprising him, intriguing him at every turn and he wanted desperately to see her attempt to blend into the 1920s- even if just to laugh at her misuse of the slang. He couldn't believe, too, that he had given her his prized copy of the _Beautiful and the Damned_, a copy he had stolen from the wife of the author herself, and which had sparked a hell of a fight between the pair in Monmotre. When he had been in Paris, it had been too much fun messing with the famous couple, to flirt with Zelda openly, to compel Scott into fits of anger. To convince Hemmingway to add to the tension between them. It had been the most fun Klaus had had during his short sabbatical in France,before they had to run for fear of Mikael. The book was a hell of a gift to give to a woman he had met yesterday. Then again, Klaus thought, she was no ordinary woman.

The sound of another dice game carried from downstairs as evening fell. Caroline had wanted to visit the commotion; to find someone else to speak to; if even to snap at Stefan some more. Klaus, though an unpleasant distraction had just been that; a distraction from her gnawing boredom. Not willing to abandon her post; she had wondered, bitterly, if they had even been dead this long when they'd first been stabbed by the _Transcendence Blade, _a blade that was no where to be found in the Magic book she and Elena had been looking over that morning; fiction though it was. It seemed, that for now, they were out of luck and would have to rely on their interaction with tonight's witch to get any help. Elena stirred; she had remembered talking to Stefan before darkness— before nothing.

"What happened?" she asked, sitting up in the bed. She gauged that she had been dead for some time; and someone had moved her to the room in the compound. She doubted they had picked up clothes, or completed their shopping.

Their voices carried, and Rebekah listened to them as she applied the final touch of her make up. She sat in her vanity, and had been given the unpleasant task of bringing the girls to the party. Klaus had assured her that they would awaken, and it seemed he knew the girls wouldn't want to spend the whole night locked up in the compound. Not after the day they had had. Rebekah knew it was one of his minor punishments, for her transgression, her insult. She only wondered what wrath Stefan would face for snapping the neck of the doppleganger.

Rebekah heard their words as she picked up her lipstick, revelling in how good she looked, hair pulled back tight with a bedazzled headband Stefan had bought for her in Chicago, when they had begun their tryst, before he'd come back to New Orleans with them and taken up home in their very own town.

"Stefan snapped your neck" Caroline admitted, the anger had somewhat dissipated during the hours of boredom; "I miss the old Stefan. Or future Stefan…whatever…..Stefan who's _in love_ with Elena -Stefan. Stefan who would do anything to protect you. The Stefan who would never ever snap your neck!" Rebekah's lipstick broke in half. She hadn't realized that she was gripping it tightly, fuming with anger until the small canister snapped, smearing her hands blood red with the rouge's colour.

"I miss Damon" Elena responded instead, as her eyes welled with tears. "Caroline. I can't do this, it's been one day and….." she admitted.

"I know. Me neither. But we're gonna find a witch tonight. " She mustered her courage, hope prevailing with every word she spoke "We'll find out what we need to do the spell and before you know it, we'll be home" she grabbed Elena's hand and gripped it tightly, "I promise you'll be in Damon's arms in no time. And I'll be…" Her voice trailed off as she realized who was waiting for her when she returned home. "alone..." She finished. For a moment there was only silence between them.

"Klaus is being surprisingly helpful" sudden, unprovoked the comment came out. As if they were both thinking of who Caroline could easily have in 2014; with one word.

"Well anything to get Katherine. Right?" Caroline shrugged, she would cover the connection. She would ignore her feelings.

"Don't do that" Elena said suddenly. "I'm not his biggest fan but he's being ….. Nice. Nicer than Stefan"

"Whatever. Lets just get through tonight. Maybe we can explore the 20s for like one wild night and be home before you know it" Caroline remarked, standing. She never expected the package that waited on the other side of the door. It made her angry, it was so _like him, _to do that.

The note slipped out from under the two dresses and she found she held her breath as she read it.

_"To dance is to be out of yourself. Larger, more beautiful, more powerful….. This is power, it is glory on earth and it is yours for the taking."_

_Save me a dance, _

_Klaus. _

She tossed the note aside, not caring that it floated to the ground and came to rest under her bed. She ripped the package open and after some deliberation as to which dress each time traveler would don, they changed, hoping that things were about to get more interesting; that soon they would be out of here, and that they would get out of the house. _Fun_, Caroline thought, no, she would definitely _not _be having that, no matter how hard Klaus tried, she thought.

_Mystic Falls, 2014_

The memories crashed over Klaus like waves as sleep left him; and he was none too pleased to find the pain was still there. Still it felt as if his mind was being split in two. So, he gathered, he had started to fall for her, so immediate was his descent it almost surprised him. She would know soon, he thought, what he had always thought, that no matter the time, the circumstance, the place, nothing would prevent him falling for Caroline Forbes. That really boasted an eternal love, he thought, unrequited though it may be. He wasn't sure he was ready to fall for her again; to try to resist his feelings, to ignore the infatuation. But it would be too difficult for his past self, to see her everyday, to be met with her kindness and beauty at every turn. He wasn't ready to do it all over again. It was a torture most sweet; and he wanted nothing to do with it. He already knew how it felt and he was none too eager to relive it. He had warded off sleep the night before, hoping that spending hours painting her would let the dream get longer; that maybe he wouldn't wake up just as things were getting interesting, that he could hold onto the memories for longer. Life hadn't been that kind.

"You snapped her neck?" Damon Salvatore was sure the whole neighbourhood could hear him, he was yelling so loud. Damon hated this. He wanted nothing more than to protect Elena, forever. But he couldn't do that if she was decades away from him. It was eating him up inside and he could do nothing to help her. That was the worst. He was desperately close to lashing out, to losing it at Stefan, or Klaus. Though he knew it wasn't their fault. It wasn't Stefan's fault, but it was easier to blame him before they knew who the hell had actually done this, and why. God, he missed her and it was eating him up inside. He hated that Stefan got to see her, to wake up each morning with memories of her. He hated, irrationally that he didn't get those moments, even if they felt unreal, even if they were in the past. He missed her so much he couldn't contain it.

_Of course that was the point he had fixated on,_ Klaus thought; not the name of the blade, not that Klaus hadn't killed Elena.

It had been a day and their worst fears were confirmed- Caroline and Elena hadn't been found, cellphones effectively dead or rerouted to voicemail, and not a soul had seen them. What was worse than the news that Stefan had snapped Elena's neck, was arguably the fact that they only had the name of a blade and little else to go on.

"To be fair, it was Ripper Stefan" Klaus defended, wondering now if he should have left that out. He snuck a glance to Stefan, who seemed to be drinking through the entire contents of the Salvatore liquor cabinet; silent for once. Guilt, Klaus guessed aptly, and it was eating Stefan alive just as love was devouring him.

"_Oh, fantastic that makes it soooo much better! " _Damon continued, "So not only does Elena have to worry about _you_ murdering her in the 20s, finding a way to get back home, but also she has to worry about Ripper Stefan, _that's just great. _Ripper Stefan who just snaps her neck because she's being annoying. _Jeez, I wonder why I wasn't best friends with him in the 20s! Oh yeah, because he was INSANE!" _

"You're laying the sarcasm on a bit thick Damon."Klaus responded,

"What about this blade?" Stefan demanded.

"I know very little of it" Klaus admitted, "it's a weapon. If used correctly, it draws the victim to the past"

"And if used …incorrectly?" Stefan demanded.

"It has to pierce the subject in the stomach, for their whole body to be transported." He hadn't mentioned that to Caroline in the past; too focused on her anger to remember, or perhaps he had been trying to spare the girls more bad news. It was tool and nothing more, and he doubted that even if they managed to find the blade in Mystic Falls, they would have any luck using it on the girls without their bodies. As for the past, the witch seemed a better option than hunting down a tool that had little accuracy, one, he didn't want to admit, he knew little about. Still, he didn't know why it had been used on them, nor why it had dragged them back to his decade, his home town, but it was no coincidence. He knew that much.

"I suppose they were stabbed late in the evening" Klaus speculated, though he knew the comment held merit, "and that's why our dreams…or memories reset each evening, why we don't wake up with memories of the whole day. Almost as if they are in a different time zone"

"So if they had been attacked at midnight your memories would be more accurate? That would be more _convenient_?" Damon growled.

"Perhaps" Klaus shrugged, and that seemed one explanation for it.

"Why the stomach?" Stefan asked.

"Anywhere else and only that part of the body would be propelled through time. Without the body. A head or a limb would be ending up in a different century; I suppose these weapons have been used incorrectly throughout history and explain many cases of missing bodies or their parts. Nasty weapons with little accuracy, it's no wonder that they are few and far between" he remembered suddenly, "There was this case in 1907- a woman was murdered and everything her her head was found. Even after the perpetrator was caught. He'd probably thought it a simple knife."

"So what does that mean?"

"Well Stefan, it means that this was intentional. That someone meant to stab them with the blade…..properly. And send them back in time"

"Why New Orleans? Why the 1920s?" Damon asked, "why not the future? Or the 70s in New York and Malibu or India?" Damon continued.

Klaus shrugged, indicating that he had no idea about that.

"What do we do?" Stefan sighed, wondering if there was anything they could do; they had already called Bonnie and Jeremy and insisted they come to help them. Demanded that they bring any grimoires or books they had; research, it seemed, like something akin to the vampire slayer series- was their best bet for now. Klaus doubted the newbie witch would have more information than he did on the subject, but still he would stay when she arrived.

Klaus shrugged, as if there was nothing to do, "I told you. They're going to go find a witch" he commented.

Damon huffed in response, skeptical. He hated that they hadn't been able to do anything yet. Time and time again, he had struggled to fight for her, to be the bad guy when it was needed. To save the girl, and finally, after years, he had finally gotten the girl. Only to lose her to a psycho blade wielding witch. Only to have her be around his murderous brother of the past. It annoyed him to no end, that their help had been futile so far. That the most that had gotten was from the past, where Stefan and Klaus didn't care, yet still they were able to do more than them in their own time.

"Yeah! While they go dancing!" Damon responded, still furious. "They're doing more while sitting around and drinking and they don't even care about them!" he growled.

"It was the 20s. All booze and partying, what do you expect?" Stefan commented, drinking more than he usually would in the morning, trying to drown the guilt. His voice sounded distant, as if he was pulling himself away from it; trying to disassociate with himself; the man who had so ruthlessly snapped Elena's neck in half. That's when he had jolted awake from the dream; his consciousness too furious at himself even to continue accepting the memories. Rejecting the past; rejecting himself.

"Do you want us to build a time machine?" Klaus mocked his pain but Damon fervently ignored the jab.

"I expect you to help Elena get back here!" he responded, his anger growing. "I expect us to be able to do more! We care more! We —"

"Damon-" he didn't heed Stefan's warning of his name, continuing, rambling, effectively worked up, pissed off, and missing his girlfriend so bad he hadn't slept, he hadn't fed. He hadn't thought of anything since Klaus had showed up at his door.

"I want her back!" Damon growled, in his anger smashing a antique vase. He would regret that later, but right now he would break anything to get Elena back. He would torture, maim, kill. God he would do anything to have her safe in his arms.

Stefan breathed a sigh of frustration out. It wasn't fair for him to be yelled at something another version of himself did 100 years ago. He wasn't the one to blame, "Me too. Look, Bonnie will be here soon and we'll see if she knows anything about this whole mess. We'll get them back."

"We better!" Damon responded, threatening no one in particular. They all wanted the same thing after all.

After their conversation with the Bennet witch had proved fruitless- she hadn't known anything about the spell, nor the ingredients needed to get her friends back. In fact, the only thing she had been helpful at was yelling at Stefan and Klaus with Damon. Frustrated that she hadn't been informed of her best friends' predicament sooner. Klaus had had enough of it and told them that he would be back tomorrow, with new memories and hopefully, more information to get the duo home. He called Stefan on his cell and waited as it rung. On the third escalating tone, Stefan picked up. He was sitting in the woods; heads in his hands; sweat pouring off of him. The intense workout had done nothing to distract him. Nothing was working; the alcohol, the exercise, he couldn't run from this. He couldn't run from the guilt.

"What?" he snapped over his handsfree, starting another rep of push ups. Maybe this time he would break through the guilt; maybe he could feel a little better.

"Is Damon near you?" Klaus demanded, examining one of the more recent portraits he had drawn of Caroline. It was impossible to think he was missing her, while she was spending most of her days with him. The time travel was definitely headache inducing the more he thought about it.

"No. I'm in the woods" came Stefan's response. He hated that their trip to the Grill the day before had done nothing. He hated that they had little to go on, and though he'd promised Damon he would pick up volumes upon volume of texts at the library, he had to stop and get food; he had to stop and work out the pain. But still, it lingered, possessed him, and he was sure it would never ebb. Maybe not until Elena returned home, and that could not come soon enough.

"Eating Squirrels and Rats, Stefan?" Klaus mocked.

"What do you want, Klaus?"

"I have a proposition" he responded, dropping the sketch of Caroline from his hands. Klaus picked up a blank piece of paper and pencil, sketching an outline of her in that dress, the lights of the 20s bar, the outline of the throne on the stage behind her, as he drew the scene from memory, or dreams, he supposed. Then he let that one drop from his hands and he started up another; her in the _Gold Room, _and, _God, _how her hair had shined. How marvellous she had looked; how he had woken up with the singular image of her feeding in the forefront of his mind. It was a ridiculous notion, he thought, that he was jealous of his past self. A man who got to spend time with her, to finally share New Orleans with her, like he had always dreamed of.

"What?" Stefan asked, sounding as tense as Damon had.

"Damon's losing his head about this. I suggest we don't tell him everything. Nor the Witch. What they don't know won't hurt them. And we both know you were ruthless in the 20s without my friendship and it seems you are more intense now in this version of the past. Even with your humanity. I think it's better that Damon doesn't know how you treat Elena," he stopped for a moment. Unsatisfied with his work, he crumbled the drawing in his hands and threw it towards the corner of his room; it landed in the waste basket with perfect aim. "Nor of your romantic connections to my sister," he added.

"Deal. See you tomorrow" Stefan responded, and then the tone went dead.


End file.
